Next Chapter in Life
by snowbeam12
Summary: Sequel to Second Chance. Two years after the death of his wife, Hiccup is still struggling to accept it as he is faced with new dangers and new challenges. Astrid is determined to help Hiccup as he feels the pressure starting to overwhelm him running the village alone. Read and Review please. Enjoy. Snowbeam12
1. Chapter 1

**_So here is the sequel to SECOND CHANCE. It is going to be mostly Hiccup and Astrid plus a small bit of Fishlegs and Heather (Just because I think that pairing is cute)_**

 ** _I do not own any of the How to Train Your Dragon characters. But I do own mine._**

 ** _Enjoy the story and don't forget to leave me a review on what you thought. Enjoy!_**

 ** _Snowbeam12_**

Next Chapter in Life

Two Years After Asa's Death

Hiccup was silent as he sat in the forge, humming. He brought his hammer down on a piece of metal, not hearing the door open. He had just stood up when he heard his name being called, causing him to turn around. He smiled when he saw Sylvia standing the door way with Shimmer and Toothless. The two night furies were still protective of the five-year-old.

"The Berkians are back." She stated softly. Hiccup nodded and grabbed his shirt from the back of the chair, pulling it on. He sighed a tiny bit before he followed his daughter and the two dragons. His father and their tribe had left shortly after Asa had died when he had told them he didn't want them around. He felt like it had been a mistake but was hurting too much to want anyone around.

"Do you think Astrid and Fishlegs are gonna be here?" Sylvia questioned, looking up at her father. He glanced at her and smiled. He knew his daughter had grown close to them during his time of mourning.

"I'm sure they will. You've been getting terror mail from both for nearly a month saying they were. They aren't going to change their mind at the last minute." He teased, easily picking her up. She giggled and hugged her arms around his neck as they walked. Stoick and the others were just climbed off their boats when Hiccup walked up. He greeted his father with a simple nod of his head. Sylvia looked around for any signs of Astrid. The blonde-haired Viking was helping a couple of the other men around the second ship.

Astrid had barley taken a step back when she felt a head rub against her back, nearly sending her forward. She turned around and started to scratch Stormfly under the neck smiling. Stoick had refused to let any dragons stay on his island, not trusting the beast.

"She missed you. Caught her a couple of times trying to fly off. Probably to find you." Hiccup stated, walking over. She smiled when she saw him but couldn't help but glance down at his leg. He noticed and shifted, uncomfortable. Sylvia stood beside her father, practically bouncing with excitement. Astrid laughed before she hugged the small child tight. Hiccup stood back watching with a sad look. Sylvia didn't remember much about her mother and it pained him that she wouldn't be there to see their daughter grow up.

"Daddy is letting me pick a dragon tomorrow!" she squealed happily. Astrid faltered and looked up at him.

"Hiccup are you sure that's a good idea? She's only five. She could get hurt." She questioned softly only to get an annoyed look from him.

"All of the children pick their dragons at that age if they choose to be a rider." He stated, crossing his arms. Astrid frowned before she leaned down to the small girl again, whispering something in her ear. Hiccup watched as she ran off in search of Fishlegs. A sharp pain went through his arm when Astrid punched him. He jerked, glaring at her as he rubbed his arm.

"What was that for?!" he demanded.

"Are you crazy!? She's a kid! She shouldn't be around those…those…those untrained dragons!" Astrid snapped, glaring at him. He returned the glare, still rubbing his arm.

"I trust those dragons more than I trust most people." He muttered. He turned to walk back to the forge but stopped just after a few paces.

"And it was Asa's wish for her to become a dragon rider when she was old enough." He added. Astrid watched the young chief walk back towards the village and frowned. She glanced up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Stoick stood there, watching his son's retreating form.

"He's still hurting Astrid. A broken heart doesn't heal overnight. He has to let himself move on and let go of the pain." The older chief explained, before he turned and walked over towards some of his villagers. Astrid debated going after him but understood that he needed time alone.

It was nearly nightfall before Astrid got up the nerve to walk to the forge. She could easily hear someone working with a hammer inside as she moved to push the door open. Hiccup stood over the fire, the small flame flickering as he worked. She stood back, watching him as he dropped the hot metal into a bucket of water. As he stepped into the light of the candles she realized he wasn't wear a shirt. She gulped a tiny bit as she looked over his muscles, tracing each mark with her eyes.

"Are you going to just stand there and stare at me all night?" He questioned without looking at her. She jumped and looked at him wide eyed.

"I didn't think you'd heard me come in." she replied, crossing her arms. She leaned against the counter as he finally turned to look at her. He couldn't help but glance her over. He wouldn't deny that she had grown into a beautiful woman and had things been different just might have married her. He quickly shook that thought from his head. Astrid stood back watching him silently.

"Do you always work with your shirt off?" she questioned.

"You should know the answer to that from your last visit. It gets too hot in here so yes. I usually work with my shirt off." He stated calmly, grabbing a cloth from the chair. Astrid watched him whip the sweat from his face and covered her mouth when he whipped soot down his cheek. She was trying not to laugh at the sight. Hiccup frowned and watched her, confused.

"You have something on your cheek." She stated smiling. Hiccup watched as she stepped closer to him, taking the cloth from his hands. He sucked in a deep breath as she reached up to whip it away. Her small body pressed against him a tiny bit.

"There." She whispered, looking up at her. Her eyes flickered to his lips as she stood there. Hiccup quickly backed away, grabbing his shirt.

"It's late. I should be getting home." He whispered, backing away. He ended up backing right into his work table, knocking over several things. Astrid watched as he made a mad dash to get away from her.

"Well I haven't see him run that fast from a woman since Asa threatened to kill him if he didn't stop working just months after they'd gotten together." Heather stated, standing outside the door. Astrid glanced at her and frowned.

"I should be heading back." Astrid whispered, going to walk past the black-haired woman. Heather nodded, leaned against the wall,

"Yeah. Big day tomorrow." She stated with a glare. Astrid stopped and looked at her.

"What's happening tomorrow?" she questioned confused. Heather gave a dry laugh before she stood up straight.

"Like you didn't know. As soon as your lot got here Snotlout tracked Hiccup down and challenged him for his birth right." She snapped. Astrid frowned, crossing her arms. Stoick still refused to give anyone else the title of next chief, holding onto that hope that Hiccup would one day take it.

"I don't understand why Hiccup didn't just turn him down." Heather mused as they walked back to the camp. Astrid sighed and hung her head.

"Because he's getting that relationship back with his father. Slowly but they're working on it. If he turns down a challenge he would be banished, never allowed to step foot on Berk soil again. If he accepts and loses it's not nearly as bad. He just loses his title, his family name and his honor." She explained softly. Heather stopped walking and stared at her. She growled and kicked the dirt angered.

"Tomorrow was supposed to be a happy day. Sylvia and a couple other children picking their dragons. Now it's been moved because that Snotlout is so desperate." She grumbled. Astrid sighed and nodded, knowing when Sylvia found out she would be unhappy. They stopped when they got to the clearing, Heather watched as Vikings stood around, talking amongst themselves.

"Well see you tomorrow. Let's hope this doesn't blow up in our faces." Heather muttered before she turned and walked away. Astrid sighed and glanced up at the moon before she walked to her tent.

"I hope so." She whispered to herself before she laid down to get comfortable.

 ** _Well there is the first chapter of the Sequel: Next Chapter in Life. Hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to leave a review on what you thought. Until Next time,_**

 ** _SNOWBEAM12_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Well here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**_

 _ **I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON CHARACTERS but I do own my few.**_

 _ **Don't forget to leave me a review at the end of what you thought. Enjoy,**_

 _ **Snowbeam12**_

Next Chapter in Life

The next morning Hiccup laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He was dreading the fight with his cousin but didn't want to lose the right to visit his father and his home. He glanced down at the little girl curled up against his side asleep. He was careful not to wake the five-year-old as he moved to get out of bed and get ready. Hiccup had barely changed from his night shirt to his regular gear when there was a knock on the front door.

"Hiccup? Are you in there?!" Liam's voice yelled. He groaned and walked downstairs, opening the door. He pushed past his best friend and shut the door behind him.

"Sylvia is still asleep. What do you want?" he demanded softly. Liam glared at him, clearly angered.

"You can't seriously about going into that fight. This Snotlout guy fights dirty from what I saw last night. He is ruthless and won't think twice about murdering you!" Liam snapped as he began to pace around in circles. Hiccup watched him with a raised eyebrow confused. He knew he was favored to lose but at least he wouldn't have to give up everything.

"Liam…he won't kill me. He wants my title and to get that he can't get on my father's nerves. And killing me would do just that." He explained as he stretched his arms over his head. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard the sound of dragon wings. Heather and Fishlegs landed beside his house.

"The arena is cleared of the dragons." Fishlegs stated. Hiccup nodded and went to walk beside his best friend.

"And Hiccup…don't die. I'm a godmother. Not a mother." Heather stated, giving him a stern look. He frowned and nodded, glancing at the house. He had ordered everyone to keep quiet about the challenge, not wanting his daughter to panic. The walk to the arena was quiet. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. The arena was packed full of both Dragon Island villagers and Berkians. Liam touched his shoulder.

"Everything will be ok." He muttered before he went to find a seat. Hiccup looked at heather and Fishlegs as they stood behind him. Heather handed him his fire sword.

"Good luck." She stated softly before Hiccup walked into the training arena. The door shut behind him and he could hear the crowd cheering and going wild as Snotlout stepped into the arena. Hiccup frowned as he watched him wave his ax around, seeming to show off. Snotlout turned and smirked at his cousin before he stepped into the middle circle that had been painted. Hiccup glanced up into the stands, looking for his friends. Astrid gave him a small, reassuring smile.

"Look at Hiccup the useless!" Snotlout yelled, causing Hiccup to turn his attention back to him.

"This is a challenge to the birth right of Hiccup Haddock, son of Stoick the Vast, as the next Chief of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe by Snotlout, son of Spitelout. The winner will hold the title and the loser will be shamed. To win one must be disarmed by their opponent." Gobber announced. Hiccup watched as his cousin began to circle him like he was nothing more than a piece of meat. He quickly ducked down when Snotlout swung at him, quickly rolling out of the way.

"Stop running and face me like a man!" Snotlout yelled as Hiccup kept dodging each attack. Stoick stood on his feet, watching his son. Even with one leg he could move faster and with more agility than Snotlout could. The bulky man growled and started to swing his ax around, just trying to get a hit in. Hiccup growled and jerked his sword from his hip, quickly pushing the button. The sword extended and lit on fire easily. Snotlout jumped backwards with a gasp. Hiccup stood up straight, glaring at him.

"You think you deserve to be a chief?! You don't deserve any of that!" Snotlout yelled as he swung his weapon, throwing it straight at Hiccup's head.

"You don't deserve that dragon! You don't deserve Astrid or that bitch you called a wife or that little bastard child! You don't-" Snotlout yelled, hurling insults at the young man. Hiccup growled, his grip on his sword tightening when he insulted his wife and child. He was only seeing red as he charged at him. Everyone stood up yelling when Hiccup swung his sword and easily caught Snotlout's arm. The Viking growled angered as he held his arm. Blood dripped down his arm. Hiccup gave him a small smirk before he clicked the button on his sword and moved to put it away.

"You don't deserve that title." Hiccup sneered as he stood over him. Snotlout still held a tight grip on his axe. Hiccup was silent as he stepped back. He wasn't going to kick him while he was down. Snotlout growled and quickly stood up, swing his weapon again. He barley missed Hiccup's head. Hiccup ducked down and managed to knock Snotlout's feet out from under him. Snotlout managed to quickly get back to his feet as Hiccup held his sword in his left hand.

"You think you deserve to be a chief? You don't have what it takes Snotlout." Hiccup stated calmly. Snotlout looked at him with anger and hate.

"Shut up!" he yelled, charging at him. Hiccup stepped out of the way, causing him to run straight into the arena wall. He easily knocked his axe from his hand. Snotlout laid on the ground dazed. Stoick raised his hand to silence everyone's yelling. He looked down at his son. Hiccup was watching him, taking his attention from Snotlout.

"Hiccup Haddock still holds the title as the next chief of Berk." He announced. Hiccup watched as everyone began to leave before he turned to his cousin and sighed. Snotlout was still glaring at him. He walked over and held out his hand to help him up, only to have his hand shoved aside.

"I don't need your help!" He snapped, glaring at him angered. He moved and stood up, glaring at him angered and hurt. Hiccup stood there with a straight face, watching for him to make any moves. Snotlout only growled and suddenly lunged at him. Hiccup barely had time to react before he was tossed to the ground. Snotlout stood over him angered.

"You are nothing more than a useless piece of space!" he snapped. Hiccup gasped and quickly rolled out of the way when Snotlout went to kick him in the ribs. Hiccup managed to lift his feet and kick Snotlout in the stomach, sending him backwards, winding him long enough to let Hiccup get back to his feet. He tried to make a run for the entrance when he realized that they doors were still locked. He grabbed the bars just as Snotlout jerked him from behind, tossing him aside again. He landed on the ground hard but quickly jumped back to his feet. He quickly reached to grab his sword, only to realize that it wasn't strapped to his side. His eyes widened when he saw Snotlout take a step towards him, grabbing his axe from the ground.

"After I finish you off, I'll get rid of that thing you call a daughter. And then I'll lead this pathetic group of misfits." He sneered, standing over Hiccup. Hiccup growled when the threat left Snotlout's mouth. He swung, his fist connecting with Snotlout's jaw, sending him tumbling to the ground. Hiccup balled both his hands into fists.

"Touch my daughter and being knocked on your ass is going to be the least of your problems." He growled, watching as Snotlout rubbed his aching jaw. He watched him stand up and stalk out of the arena.

"This isn't over Useless!" he yelled, over his shoulder. Hiccup leaned against the wall, letting out a breath he'd been holding. He glanced up when Liam and Heather both ran over to him, following by Sylvia. The child looked terrified and Hiccup hated that he'd been the cause of that. He knelt down to pick her up, gently kissing her forehead. She looked like she'd been crying.

"Daddy…" she whispered softly, locking her small arms around his neck. He glanced between Heather and Liam.

"What happened? Why was she here?" he demanded, confused.

"She snuck out past me and made it to the arena shortly before the challenge ended. I couldn't stop her." Heather explained. Hiccup only sighed and nodded. He walked out of the arena, walking through the village, making sure things were going well. He felt a hand touch his shoulder just as he'd sat Sylvia down. He looked up and saw his father.

"Can I speak with you for a moment? In private?" he questioned. Hiccup nodded and motioned for one of the elders to come over to watch Sylvia for a moment. He walked with his father to the dining hall.

"Hiccup…I want you to come back to Berk. That is your home." Stoick stated softly. Hiccup faltered and stared at him.

"I can't do that. This is my home now. Among my people and the dragons. I fought today because I didn't want to be banished. I wanted to be able to visit. Not to come and stay permanently." He stated, walking beside his father. Stoick looked down at his son. He couldn't see any traces of the weak and clumsy boy he'd once been. Only the kind and responsible chief that now stood. Hiccup was frowning as they walked, clearly thinking about what to say.

"You are the next chief of Berk, Hiccup. You are my heir." Stoick stated, placing his hand on his shoulder. Hiccup pulled away and looked up at him.

"I don't want to be your heir, dad. I just want to be your son." He stated softly before he walked into the dining hall. Astrid was sitting at the table with Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut when he walked in. He sighed a tiny bit as he walked over to them. He sat beside Astrid and rested his head in his hands. Astrid looked at him silently before she pushed a plate of food in front of him.

"I'm not hungry." He mumbled softly as he sat there.

"Hiccup, you haven't been eating much lately." Fishlegs muttered as he watched his friend. Hiccup glanced at him and frowned.

"I've just been so stressed. It's…hard doing everything myself. I've always had Asa's help with everything." He muttered softly. Astrid gently touched his shoulder.

"You've got all of us. I'm sure we could help with some of the small things." She suggested, giving him a small smile. He glanced at her and smiled a tiny bit.

"Thanks." He whispered before he glanced back at the food.

For the rest of the evening Hiccup buried himself in work in the forge that needed to be done. He was sitting by the fire when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He jumped, spinning around. Astrid stood in the doorway with her arms crossed smiling.

"You've got a sweet little girl Hiccup." She stated softly.

"She's…she's a lot like her mother…" he muttered, looking down at the dying fire. He sighed and stood up stretching, not caring that he wasn't wearing a shirt in front of her. Astrid knew the memory of his wife still hurt and that he blamed himself. She walked over and gently touched his shoulder.

"You can't keep blaming yourself Hiccup. Her saddle latch broke." She sighed a tiny bit. He hung his head a tiny bit, tears prickling in the corner of his eyes. He felt lost with his best friend.

 _ **Well there is that chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sorry if the whole challenge thing isn't what you had expected but….**_

 _ **I also understand that Hiccup was probably a little bit out of character.**_

 _ **Leave a review on what you thought. However, leave constructive criticism, not hate. Thanks. Until next time,**_

 _ **Snowbeam12**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Here is the next chapter of Next Chapter in Life. Again, I do apologize that hiccup was a little out of character in the last chapter. Anyways I hope that you enjoy the next chapter._**

 ** _I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON CHARACTERS_**

 ** _Don't forget to read and review. Enjoy_**

 ** _Snowbeam12_**

 _Next Chapter in Life_

 _Chapter 3_

Hiccup was silent as he sat at the head of the table listening to one of the villagers complain about not having enough space for his farm. He rubbed his temple, groaning a tiny bit. His head was pounding.

"Christopher, I understand you are having a hard time with coming up with enough food with the extra mouths around here. There is extra land just past the forge that you are more than welcome to use." He stated. The Viking nodded and turned to walk out. Hiccup sighed a tiny bit when four groups of parents stepped up.

"Chief, we want to know when you are going to reschedule the dragon picking ceremony since you had your little challenge?" One mother demanded.

"Yeah. Our kids were looking forward to that and then because of the visiting tribe they didn't get to choose." Another stated. Hiccup glanced around and noticed Sylvia was sitting with the other children and they all looked disappointed. He glanced at Fishlegs and Heather as they stood back.

"Think you two could get the dragons back into the arena by this afternoon?" he questioned. Heather nodded, turning to go to work. He looked back at the parents.

"The children will have their choosing ceremony either this evening or tomorrow morning." Hiccup sighed, glancing at the five-year-olds. Sylvia looked the happiest to be picking her dragon. Toothless gave a warning growl as Snotlout stepped forward. He looked annoyed and angered.

"You need to tell your people to stop harassing me. This is ridiculous how much they hate me. I did nothing to them." He snapped. Hiccup rolled his eyes, leaning his head against his hand. People were starting to yell over each other, cursing him. Hiccup stood up, trying to silence everyone. Toothless growled and let out a small plasma blast. Everyone got quiet and turned to their chief.

"Snotlout I think it would be best if you left. You aren't welcome here." He stated, giving him a cold glare. He was getting sick and tired of Snotlout's antics. He scratched Toothless behind his ear as everyone cleared out. Astrid, Liam and Stoick were the only ones still left. Hiccup sat back in his chair, rubbing his head.

"Why did he even come in the first place? Didn't you tell him last time he was here not to come back?" Liam questioned walking over. Stoick glanced at Astrid silently as she walked over.

"You ok?" she questioned softly.

"I'm fine. My head is hurting." He muttered. He moved to stand up, but had to sit back down feeling dizzy. Liam was the first one to his side when he slumped forward. Toothless was already on his paws, letting his rider lean on him. Hiccup took several deep breathes before he stood back up.

"I'm ok bud." He whispered as Toothless looked at him concerned. He jerked head towards the door when it was thrown open. One of his newest riders, Scarlet, ran in followed by her Gronkle, Smudges. She looked panicked.

"Chief, unknown ships were spotted off the south side of the island. There were three of them and they had odd carvings on the side that looked like those of the dragon hunters." She explained, breathing hard. Hiccup quickly climbed on Toothless' back, ignoring everyone telling him to wait. He took off to go investigate. The last hunters that had been found snooping around had ended up killing several night furies. He flew around the island and saw the ships Scarlet had described. He whistled lowly to signal for Toothless to get low to the water without being seen.

"What are they doing?" he whispered, watching as they threw chains down into the water. His eyes widened when scolding hot water flew past his head. They had a purple Scauldron trapped and it was fighting to get out. Toothless ducked under water and quickly released a plasma blast at the chains, easily breaking them. Hiccup's eyes widened when Toothless dove down deeper to avoid the scolding hot water the terrified dragon shot at him. They ended up being hit by the Scauldron's tail as it fled. The force was enough to knock the wind out of Hiccup. He panicked as he tried to get Toothless to surface as the hunters began to realize they no longer had their prize.

Toothless looked around and spotted an underwater cave and began to swim towards it. Hiccup did his best to hold on tight, but without air he was starting to feel light headed. He sucked in a deep breath when Toothless broke the surface of the water in the cave. He managed to unhook himself from the saddle as he climbed onto the rocks, coughing hard. He glanced around confused. He didn't recognize the tunnels.

"Toothless…plasma blast." He whispered. Toothless opened his mouth and shot a ball of purple fire, lighting up the cave. They slowly walked down the tunnel, watching for any ways out. Hiccup ended up having to climb on Toothless' back because he couldn't walk over the rough rocks with his metal leg.

"I don't understand. Asa and I searched the entire island. How did we not find this?" he whispered as they stepped out into the sunlight on the opposite side of the island away from the village. Toothless let out a small growl of confusion. Hiccup looked out at the water and saw the ships had vanished. He sighed and climbed on Toothless' back, water dripping from his wet hair into his face.

"Come on bud. That is over for now. Let's get back to the village." He muttered, latching himself back into the saddle. Toothless took to the sky and flew back to the village. He had just landed when Astrid stormed over. He went to say something when she punched him hard in the shoulder. He cried out, rubbing his arm, staring at her.

"What was that for?!" he demanded.

"For scaring me! You can't just fly off like that!" she snapped, clearly worried. He watched her look at his soaking wet clothes. He grumbled as she grabbed his hand and jerked him towards his house. He followed her, finding it amusing that she thought she could order him around.

"Aren't I the chief of this village?" he teased as he opened the front door to his hut. He managed to pull off his flight gear and his shirt with ease. Astrid walked over and put restocked the wood in the fire place which Toothless easily lit with a small flame.

"You're already sick and you get yourself soaking wet. Are you crazy? Or just have a death wish." She questioned. Hiccup glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not sick." He objected only to earn a glare from the blonde-haired Viking. He sighed and stood up walking over to the basket by the stairs and pulled out a fish, tossing it to Toothless.

"So, what if I am? It's nothing serious and I can still perform my duties." He complained as she tried to get him to sit down. He ended up tripping over Toothless' tail, falling onto the rugs. Astrid cried out, falling on top of him. They both looked at the door and saw Sylvia standing there staring at them. Hiccup quickly tried to sit up only to bang his head against Astrid's. She cried out, rubbing her head.

"Are you two okay?" Sylvia questioned, watching them with an amused look. Hiccup sat up, rubbing his head. He pushed his wet hair out of his face and managed to sit up straight. Astrid had already gotten up and left, grumbling about her head hurting. He looked at his daughter, biting his lip.

"So…did I walk in on something?" she questioned.

"No! She was reprimanding me for flying off to deal with something by myself." He explained, standing up. She nodded and walked up to her bedroom. Hiccup sighed, shaking his head. Toothless let out a small growl, tilting his head as his rider walked around, pacing. He ended up staying inside for the rest of the day with Sylvia playing small games. As they sat by the fire reading there was a small knock on the door. He glanced down at her and smiled, seeing her fast asleep. He carefully got up and walked over to answer the door.

When he pulled it open he was greeted by Heather and Fishlegs. Shimmer managed to weasel her way past them and into the house. Hiccup watched as she walked over and curled up on the other side of Sylvia. Toothless opened one eyes, watching her before he went back to sleep.

"The dragons are in their pins and ready for the ceremony." Heather sighed. Hiccup nodded, thanking them.

"Alright. Please inform the parents of Chase, Hunter, Jane and Opal that the choosing ceremony will be held first thing in the morning." He sighed. He glanced at Fishlegs and noticed he seemed to want to say something.

"What's on your mind Fishlegs?" he questioned, causing the Viking to jump.

"Well…it's just that…Snotlout was poking around the dragons' cages when we were leaving. We left Windshear and Meatlug there to guard." Heather explained before Fishlegs could explain. Hiccup frowned but nodded, glancing towards the direction of the training arena.

"I'll deal with him in the morning." He muttered, clearly annoyed. He bid the two Vikings good night before he closed the door. He laid down beside Toothless and drifted to sleep.

The following morning Hiccup was up before everyone else. Toothless yawned as he walked beside his rider. Sylvia was sitting on Shimmer's back as they all walked to the dining hall.

"Daddy why do we have to get up this early?" she questioned, covering her mouth when she yawned. Hiccup glanced at her and chuckled.

"You, young lady, didn't have to. I, however, have a couple things I have to take care of for the ceremony this morning." He stated, smiling at her. He walked into the dining hall and was greeted by several of the other Vikings that got up early.

"Good morning chief, Miss Sylvia. Ready to pick your dragon today?" Andrew questioned as he sat at one of the tables with a plate of food. Hiccup laughed when her only reply was a yawn as she curled up on Shimmer's back. The white night fury made a noise that sounded like a laugh. Once he'd sat down Toothless curled up around his feet. He was half way through his meal when Astrid and Heather walked in. The two female Vikings were talking about Heather's new weapon.

"How did you manage to make the blade so thin but so sharp?" Astrid questioned as she looked it over.

"It's something Hiccup found. We call it Gronkle iron. It's really strong." Heather explained. "Hiccup actually made it." Astrid glanced over at his normal table and saw him eating as he wrote in a book. They walked over and sat down.

"Hiccup you have got to make me one of those double axes like Heather's. That is too cool." She stated. He glanced at her for a brief second and nodded before he went back to his book. Heather glanced at it and noticed he was writing down which dragon's the children had to choose from in the arena.

"What is a Razorwhip?" Astrid questioned, looking down at the paper. Hiccup and Heather shared a look and smirked.

"It's a dragon that is like a Deadly Nadder but bigger and all metal. Heather has one and for the longest time that was all Sylvia wanted." Hiccup explained. Astrid nodded, glancing at the sleeping child. She was curled up against Shimmer, who had her wings wrapped protectively around the five-year-old. She glanced at Hiccup when he stood up.

"I'm gonna go check on the dragons. Can you make sure Sylvia and the others get to the arena on time please?" Hiccup requested. Heather nodded and watched him walk out. Something was clearly on his mind but she didn't know what.

Hiccup walked into the arena and walked over to the first cage. Inside was a beautiful black night fury that had light blue marks and violet purple eyes. She was still sound asleep as he opened the door and placed four fish down beside her. He gave each of the five dragons that were currently in their stalls four fish each. The red deadly Nadder was already awake and pacing around in his cage. Hiccup opened the door and was nearly tackled. The dragon growled as he stood over him, Hiccup's eyes growing wide as the dragon ready to breath fire. He quickly shielded his face with his arms.

"Hiccup!" Liam yelled, running in. He quickly grabbed one of the shields and a hammer, bang them together to make noise to confused it. Hiccup scrambled to his feet and managed to close to cage door. He ducked, covering his head when fire blew out of some of the holes of the door.

"What happened?!" Liam demanded, dropping the shield. Hiccup stood up and watched the dragon pace. Something was wrong with it.

"I don't know. Go find Chase and have him come check it out in the stables. I can't have it like this with the children in here in a few hours." Hiccup ordered, earning a nod. He stood, watching the dragon, watching for anything unusual. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard the roar of another dragon coming from the stables connected to the arena.

"Where is Scarlet? She's supposed to be feeding them." He muttered as he walked in. The dragons were all waking up and the young rider was nowhere to be seen. He grumbled and began to feed them. He glanced at the door when she finally came in.

"I am so sorry. I ended up oversleeping!" she cried panicked. Hiccup frowned and stood in front of her.

"I told you when you joined the riders it was going to be hard because you have to be up early. Did you even go on patrol this morning?" he questioned. She looked down at the ground, her shoes becoming more interesting. Hiccup groaning, rubbing his eyes.

"Scarlet, there are hunters around. If we don't patrol they could seriously hurt the dragons on the far side of the island. They capture them, sell them and kill them. It is our duty as riders to make sure they are protected." He stated. She nodded before she walked away to finish feeding the dragons. Hiccup sighed and walked into the arena just as everyone was starting to gather to watch the ceremony. He smiled as he saw his daughter and the others standing off to the side waiting for it to start. Heather stood beside them with Toothless, Windshear and Shimmer standing behind her incase anything went wrong.

 ** _Well there is that chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don't forget to leave me a comment on what you thought. Remember, helpful comments not hateful ones. Until next time,_**

 ** _Snowbeam12_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON CHARACTERS, but I do own mine. Here is the next chapter. Please read and leave me a review on what you thought._**

 ** _Enjoy_**

 ** _Snowbeam12_**

 _Next Chapter In Life_

 _Chapter 4_

Hiccup stood in the center of the training arena, looking around at everyone had gathered. He raised his hands to silence everyone's talking and cheering. The five children stood tall as Hiccup walked over to each of them.

"These five children have been chosen to train for the chance to join the Dragon Riders, the protectors of our village. Sylvia Haddock, Chance Warren, Opal Warren, Hunter Rider, Jane Granger, do you promise to train hard and work to become one of the sacred riders to protect our home?" Hiccup questioned, looking down at them. He smiled when they hall nodded. He stepped away from them, and walked towards each cage.

"As it is custom, each child will have four dragons to choose from. The dragons chosen for this ceremony are the following. A night fury, a deadly Nadder, a Gronkle and a Razorwhip. Each child will get a chance to get close to each dragon one at a time. When a dragon is chosen the child will name it than they will receive their class pin. A sharp class, a tracker class, a strike class or a boulder class." Hiccup announced. As everyone cheered he turned to Fishlegs who stood by the first door.

"Hunter, you will be the first to choose. Heather will you please escort the others out of the arena." Hiccup requested. Hiccup glanced at Fishlegs and nodded, signaling for him to open the first door. The black night fury stepped out, her scales shinning in the sunlight. Hunter stood there frozen as the dragon stepped closer to sniff him. Hiccup stood back with his arms crossed watching. His parents stood back watching as their son held out his arm, turning his head. The night fury only sniffed it before she retreated into her cage. Hiccup watched as the same happened with the Nadder and the Razorwhip. Hunter looked ready to cry when they released the Gronkle. The orange dragon instantly ran over to him, tackling the small boy. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh as he watched the boy try and push the dragon off him.

"Hunter, this Gronkle will be yours to learn to take care of. You may leave the arena. Liam will show you to your dragon's new pin where you will name him and work on earning his trust." Hiccup explained. It continued with the next three. Opal and Chance both ended up being chosen by a deadly Nadder while Jane quickly made friends with the Razorwhip.

"Last of this years' chosen riders is Sylvia Haddock." Hiccup announced. His daughter stepped out and looked around. She was clearly terrified as she stood there. He walked over and gently touched her shoulder.

"It's gonna be ok." He whispered, kneeling in front of her. Her green eyes were wide as she managed a nod. Hiccup stepped back and walked back over to his spot and nodded for Hiccup to open the door to the Gronkle. As each of the four dragons turned away from her he could tell she was beginning to get discouraged. He moved to take a step towards her when green gas suddenly filled the arena. Everyone began to panic as an angered Zippleback flew over the arena. Heather quickly climbed on Windshear's back, flying towards the creature. Her eyes widened when she saw the cuts that covered the dragon. She flew towards it, trying to get the attention of either of the heads.

"Shhh. It's ok." Heather soothed, raising her hands. Shimmer flew up beside her, giving a warning roar as Heather tried to get the dragon calmed. Once the dragons had landed she turned to Shimmer.

"Get this gas cleared!" She ordered to the albino night fury. Shimmer quickly bet her wings, creating a strong gust of wind clearing the gas. Toothless was curled around Hiccup, his wings covering the young chief. Fishlegs had ducked behind Meatlug. Heather looked around in panic for Sylvia, her eyes going wide when she saw a beautiful black and purple night fury curled up tight in the center of the arena. Hiccup stood up and slowly walked over to the night fury, raising his hands up to show that he meant no harm. The female dragon slowly uncurled, reviling a terrified but unharmed Sylvia.

"It seems you have a dragon." Hiccup teased as he helped her up. She looked at the night fury who was watching her with big, curious purple eyes. Once everyone had calmed down and taken their seats again he called the other four children and dragons back into the arena. He stood before them holding their class pins.

"As I give each of you a pin I want you to understand this is an honor and a privilege. You were chosen for the chance to train as a rider. If I feel like you are misusing that, I will not hesitate to have you removed from the class." Hiccup stated, giving each of them a pointed look. The five children nodded and watched as the four mentors stepped forward. He handed Liam the two Nadder pins before he looked at Opal and Chance.

"Liam will train you and be your mentor. He will teach you to be a friend and a companion to your dragons." Hiccup stated. Heather smiled taking the sharp class pin from Hiccup and stepped in front of Jane, pinning the pin to her shirt. Hiccup glanced at Fishlegs and smirked. Fishlegs had offered to stay and train any Gronkle riders. He watched as the Berkian stepped in front of Hunter.

"Hunter, while I understand Fishlegs is not an official Dragon Rider or a Dragon Island Protector he knows more about Gronkles than I could ever hope to know. He will be a good mentor to you and I will personally teach you the ways of a rider." Hiccup explained. He turned to his daughter, holding the striker class pin. He took a deep breath before he knelt in front of her pinning the pin on her shirt.

"Sylvia…I will be training you in the ways of a rider and a protector." He stated. His five-year-old nodded, a grin plastered on her face as she ran her hand along the night fury's side. Hiccup smiled and released them under Liam's care before he turned to Heather.

"What happened with the Zippleback?" he demanded. Heather glanced at the Zippleback that was curled up in a cage while Chase looked him over.

"It had cuts all over its body. It was probably scared and its fight or flight instincts were on high." She explained. Hiccup nodded and walked over to it, kneeling beside it, running his hands over the cuts. He frowned, sighing.

"These are hunter marks." He whispered, standing back up. He glanced over at the entrance and saw Sylvia standing there with her night fury. She had a hopeful look on her face. He sighed a tiny bit, walking over to her.

"Sylvia…Liam is going to work with you for right now. I have something I need to handle." He explained. He kissed her forehead before he climbed on Toothless' back before he went to search the south beach. Heather followed him, watching for any signs of hunters or anything suspicious. Toothless was the first to spot the ships that had docked on the island. He motioned to Heather to land just inside the tree lines where they wouldn't be seen.

"I don't understand. That symbol…it's the same one as the ships we fought years ago. I thought Asa and you sank those ships?" Heather questioned.

"I didn't. They knocked me out of the sky and I hit the ground and was knocked out. When I came to Asa said they were taken care of." Hiccup explained. Heather frowned and nodded as she crept closer. She watched as the men walked around the beach, unloading different equipment. He was concentrating on how many traps they had when Heather suddenly started to shake his arm, trying to get his attention. He glanced at her and followed her line of sight. He glanced at her Heather silently, frowning.

"This isn't good." He muttered softly. There were at least a dozen hunters and they had a just pulled a red Gronkle out of the woods. Hiccup slowly pulled his sword from his leg, ready to attack. He growled as they moved to try and drag the dragon into the cage.

"Hiccup we have to do something!" Heather whispered, clearly angered.

"We can't take all of them on with just the two of us." He answered. Hiccup softly whistled for Toothless. The black dragon carefully and slowly eased himself over to his rider, covering them with his black wings. Heather and Hiccup carefully climbed on his back, careful not to let the hunters know they were there.

"Let's get back to the village bud." Hiccup ordered. Toothless let out a small growl and began to walk until he was far enough away to fly. When they got back to the village Hiccup glanced around, looking for his father. Stoick was standing beside Astrid and Fishlegs, clearly talking about something. Hiccup climbed off Toothless' back and walked over to them.

"Have you guys seen Liam? There is something important I have to speak with him about." He stated, crossing his arms. Stoick frowned and shook his head, watching as his son turned and stalked off. It was clear that there was something bothering him. Astrid chased after him, taking his hand once she'd caught up. He stopped and looked down at her.

"Can we talk for a second?" she questioned softly. He raised an eyebrow when she glanced away blushing.

"Now really isn't a good time Astrid. I have to find Liam." He stated, trying to pull away. He gasped when she suddenly dragged him behind one of the huts. He looked down at her confused as she stood in front of him.

"Hiccup Haddock will you listen?!" she demanded, glaring up at him. He sighed, leaning against the wall of the hut.

"Fine. What is it?" he questioned. She opened her mouth to say something when Liam suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Heather said you were looking for me?" Liam stated, sparing Astrid a small look. She gave him an annoyed look as she stood there with her arms crossed. Hiccup gave her an apologetic look before turning to his second in command.

"Yes. I was. There is a large group of hunters on the south beach. For now, I want you to keep an eye on them. Report back to me how many dragons capture. I won't let those hunters kill anymore dragons for their scales." Hiccups stated, completely serious instead of relaxed like he had been a second before. Liam frowned and nodded before he headed in the direction of the stables. Hiccup looked back at Astrid and sighed.

"I know you want to talk to me but…I have things I really need to get done." He stated softly. She frowned, going to object but just ended up hanging her head. Hiccup smiled a tiny bit and gently touched her arm.

"Why don't we go on a flight when it's dark and I've gotten Sylvia to bed? I'm sorry." He offered softly. When Astrid nodded he turned and walked to the Dining Hall. Sylvia was sitting down by herself, picking at her food. He frowned and walked over to her.

"What's wrong?" he questioned softly, kneeling beside her. She only shrugged, glancing at him. He could tell that something was bothering her but he didn't want to push her. She was the type of person who would open up and talk when she felt ready to. He sat beside her watching at she moved her food around on the plate. He went to open his mouth to say something when she pushed her plate away and stood up. She walked out of the dining hall, not even bothering to say anything on her way out.

"Seems like your perfect kid is turning against you." Snotlout sneered, standing behind him. Hiccup groaned, not wanting to deal with his cousin.

"Worried she might turn out like her mother? A ruthless hunter that you can't save?" Snotlout called after him as he went to leave. Hiccup slammed to a stop, his hands balling into fists. Snotlout smirked, watching him stand there, clearly angered.

"Do your people know? That their chief's whore was a dragon hunter?" Snotlout teased. Everyone stopped eating and talking, looking at their chief. Hiccup took several deep breaths, not wanting to start a fight in the middle of the dining hall. Heather and Liam had both just walked in, talking to each other. They stopped when they saw their angered chief. Hiccup pushed past them walking out.

"Heard she helped in killing off most of the nightfury breed!" Snotlout yelled, loud enough for Hiccup to hear outside. The young chief was seething with anger as he stood there, his nails digging into his skin. Snotlout was only trying to get a rise out of him. He refused to give him the pleasure of seeing him snap. His wife's past was no secret but it wasn't something he was proud of hearing. She had turned away from that and taken on the life of protecting dragons instead of harming them.

"Son is everything alright?" Stoick asked, placing his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. He jerked away from his father and took off running towards his house. He ignored the people that yelled his name, not caring as he slammed the door shut and slid to the floor. He felt like he couldn't breathe as he sat there, terrified. He laid his head back against the door, staring at the ceiling.

 ** _DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE ME A REVIEW ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT. REMEMBER HELPFUL, NOT HATEFUL. UNTIL NEXT TIME,_**

 ** _SNOWBEAM12_**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Well here is the next chapter for Next Chapter in Life. I hope that you are enjoying it._**

 ** _I DO NOT OWN ANY HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON CHARACTERS but I do own mine. R &R._**

 ** _Enjoy_**

 ** _Snowbeam12_**

 _Next Chapter in Life_

 _Chapter 5_

Hiccup sat against the door, trying to control his anger as hot tears ran down his cheeks. He felt Toothless lie against his side, resting his head on his rider's lap. The black Night fury let out a small roar as if asking what was wrong. Hiccup just sat there, trying to control his emotions. There was a small knock on the door. He thought about ignoring it but stood up when whoever it was continued. He opened it a crack and saw both Astrid and Sylvia.

"Hiccup are you ok?" Astrid questioned softly as he opened the door wide enough to let them inside. Sylvia looked up at her father in silence as he whipped the tears from his eyes. He took a deep breath before he nodded. He didn't want to seem weak and emotional. He looked down at his daughter and offered her a small smile.

"Why don't you head to bed? I'll be up in a second." He whispered, gently hugged her as tight as he could. Once she'd ran upstairs he turned back to Astrid. She could tell that something was bothering him as she gently took his hand. He glanced down at it before he looked back at her. She offered him an understanding smile before they sat down by the fire.

"Hiccup you don't have to keep everything bottled up inside." She offered softly. He sighed, hanging his head. He ran his fingers through his already tangled and coarse hair. He leaned back and sighed, looking at the ceiling. He couldn't help but think back to the day he'd met Asa. He took a deep breath before he looked at Astrid as she sat beside him and rested her head against his shoulder.

"It's just. Those hunters…carry the same symbol Asa used to carry. It was nearly a year after I'd ran away when I met her and Liam. I was living on my own, just me and Toothless and was trying to save as many dragons as I could. I stumbled upon some hunters who were about to kill a group of trapped Nightfuries and I blasted the cages open like it was nothing. Of course, I didn't know at the time that the cages were rigged. Whether is was by their hands or the poisoned arrows that lined the area. I saw Asa among the hunters that I had captured shortly after the dragons had passed." Hiccup explained. He glanced at Astrid and noticed she was frowning. She understood that any dragons' death was something hard on him. He sighed and continued to explain.

"Asa…Asa said she wanted away from that life. That she didn't want to kill dragons for their skins anymore. We became a team…we became best friends…than we fell in love. She always told me she completely turned her back on that life. But today…I saw something. Something I couldn't tell the others." Hiccup whispered, looking away. Astrid touched his arm, concerned. He was obviously hurting about whatever was bothering him.

"Asa was there today. I saw her standing beside the ships. She wasn't helping capture the dragons but she was still there." Hiccup whispered, "So when Snotlout made those comments in the dining hall…I wanted to badly to just snap." She nodded and gently kissed his cheek. He sighed a tiny bit, feeling like a tiny bit of pressure off his chest with someone knowing the truth. He couldn't help but glance at her in silence. He couldn't help but smile a tiny bit before he moved to stand up.

"I need to go tell Sylvia good night. Than we can go on that flight." He stated softly. Astrid watched him go and leaned back against the wall. Hiccup walked up the stairs to Sylvia's room. She was already sitting in her bed. He glanced around and noticed Shimmer was the only one in there.

"Is your dragon staying in the stables?" he questioned softly.

"Yeah. Liam didn't think it would be a good idea to take her away from the stables since she was acting weird." She sighed. Hiccup nodded and walked over, sitting on the bed beside her silently. He covered her up before he took the book from her. As he laid there reading to her she couldn't help but glance at Shimmer.

"I miss mom." She suddenly whispered, causing Hiccup to falter. He closed the book and looked down at her.

"I know you do." He sighed, gently resting his head against the head board. He couldn't help but think about everything they'd been through. He glanced down at her and smiled when he realized she had fallen asleep. He gently kissed her forehead gently before he stood up. He blew out the candle after he'd laid her book on the nightstand. He walked back downstairs and noticed his front door was open and smiled when he saw Astrid was sitting outside on the cliff. He walked beside Toothless over to her and sat down.

"It's an amazing view." She commented, looking out at the village and the ocean. He smiled and rested his hand on top of hers. He glanced towards Toothless before he stood up with her. Astrid looked at Toothless unsure as Hiccup climbed on his back. Toothless looked at her silently as she slowly climbed on his back.

"You might want to hold on tight." Hiccup teased before Toothless shot off into the sky. Astrid screamed, locking her arms tight around his waist. She laid her head against his back, terrified. Hiccup glanced at her laughing as they flew through the sky. Hiccup carefully took one of her hands and forced her to raise her hand to touch the clouds. Astrid slowly lifted her head, staring at the clouds as they ascended through them. Her eyes widened when the saw the stars that twinkled above her.

"This is amazing." She whispered. She rested her head back against Hiccup's back, looking at the stars. Hiccup gently rubbed Toothless' head before he placed his hands back on the saddle. Astrid was silent as they flew, a smile gracing her face as she closed her eyes. Hiccup glanced at Astrid silently over his shoulder. Her arms were locked tight around his waist in silence. They ended up flying for a while before Toothless landed on one of the sea stacks. Astrid climbed off Toothless silently, watching Hiccup. She noticed he was staring at the beach where the hunters had made camp. They both jumped when a dragon landed behind him.

"It's been a while since I saw you out for a night flight." Liam stated, hopping off Fireeyes. The red Nadder ran over to Toothless, wanting to play. Liam raised an eyebrow when he saw Astrid.

"Shouldn't you be patrolling?" Astrid mumbled, crossing her arms, looking away. Liam rolled his eyes before he looked at his friend. Hiccup was glancing between the two, before he glanced back at the beach.

"How many have they captured?" Hiccup questioned, sitting down on the rocks.

"So far 3 Gronkles and a Nadder." Liam sighed, watching as Astrid sat beside him. Hiccup nodded, glanced down at her and smiled. She laid her head against his shoulder before she closed her eyes. Liam cleared his throat causing Hiccup look at him.

"I'll just leave you two be." He muttered, whistling for his dragon. Once they had left Hiccup laid back on his back, looking up at the stars. He rested his arms under his head, sighing happily. Astrid laid on her side beside him with her head against his arm, just watching him. She could tell he was relaxed and she couldn't help but smile. Toothless curled around his rider, lying his head down, tucked up under his wing. Hiccup didn't want to wake either of them so he just laid there thinking. He felt so torn between wanting a relationship with Astrid and not wanting to betray his wife.

"I can't hold onto someone who isn't with me anymore." He whispered, smiling at the sleeping woman curled up beside him. He couldn't hold onto the pain and the emotions anymore. He had to move on for himself, for his daughter and for his people. He yawned and closed his eyes, drifting to sleep.

The following morning Hiccup woke up still curled up on the sea stack. He sat up, glancing around. Toothless was still asleep but Astrid was nowhere to be seen. He quickly got to his feet, waking Toothless up. The black Night fury looked at him with a confused look. He tilted his head a tiny bit watching as Hiccup climbed on his back.

"Let's get back to the village bud." Hiccup ordered, hoping Liam had taken her back. They had barely got into the air when a blue Nadder he easily recognized as Stormfly flew past him. He relaxed, laughing when he heard Astrid's excited yell. Toothless turned and flew after them, flying underneath them. Hiccup looked up at her and smiled.

"Enjoying yourself milady?" he questioned. Astrid glanced down and smiled at him as Toothless flew up beside them. Hiccup flew beside her, glancing ahead of them. He couldn't help but bite his lip, trying to think of how to talk to her.

"Astrid can we land somewhere? I need to talk to you and I would like to not have the worry of being knocked from the sky." He stated. She couldn't help but laugh at his comment before she nodded. The two riders landed on the sea stack. Hiccup sat on Toothless' back as he watched Astrid land beside him. She ran her hands along Stormfly's sides glancing at Hiccup.

"What's up?" she questioned softly. He rubbed his arm silently, looking at anything but her. Astrid raised an eyebrow, watching him.

"Hiccup will you spit it out already?" she questioned, causing the nervous chief to jump. He glanced around before he sighed, taking a deep breath.

"I was wondering if…you would want to possibly…try having a relationship with me? I know you probably don't already want kids or the responsibility and I understand if you say no because I do have a lot of things going on and…and…" Hiccup began. Astrid leaned over and silenced him with a kiss. He looked at her when she pulled away with a small smile on her face.

"I would like that." She whispered softly. Hiccup couldn't help but smile until he looked past her. The smile vanished as his eyes went wide. On the beach hunters were crowded around a downed dragon. He quickly kissed Astrid's cheek before he and Toothless flew towards the beach.

"Plasma blast!" Hiccup ordered. Astrid had taken off after him, following close behind.

"Stormfly, spine shot!" she ordered, pointing at the hunters. The hunters all jumped back at the attacks, falling into the sand. Hiccup growled when he saw it was Fireeyes that they had under the net. Toothless landed and he jumped off, running over. He pulled his sword from his side, easily cutting through the net. The deadly Nadder stood up, shaking the net from his back.

"Where's Liam?" Hiccup questioned, raising his hands to calm him. Fireeyes looked around, his eyes wide, looking for his rider.

"This who you're looking for?" someone stated, causing hiccup to turn around. His eyes narrowed when he saw Asa standing next to one of the dragon traps. Liam glared at her angered, his hands gripping the bars. Hiccup growled, his grip on his sword tightening.

"Release him!" He snapped, taking a step towards the cage. He frowned, stopping when she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Our beef isn't with you. Or any other man. It's with the dragons. Don't stand in our way and no one will get hurt." She stated, shoving Liam forward. The dragon rider stumbled before he caught his balance, standing beside his chief. Astrid had already landed and was still sitting on Stormfly's back. Asa smirked before she grabbed a dagger from her boot when Hiccup and Liam turned to walk back to their dragons. Astrid's eyes went wide as she suddenly threw it at Hiccup's back. Before she could react Stormfly had already shot a spike, hitting the knife. Hiccup spun around, staring at the knife as it hit a tree. He glared at the woman that had once been his wife before he climbed on Toothless.

"You all need to leave. You aren't welcome here." He growled. Toothless growled before he shot a plasma blast at each of the cages, destroying them. Asa glared at them, watching as they flew away. She raised her hand as some of the hunters went to say something.

"They'll be back. He has too kind a heart to stay away from the dragons." She explained. When they got back to the village Hiccup climbed off Toothless and watched him run over to Shimmer. The white Nightfury was lying in the sun with her eyes closed. Hiccup glanced down when he felt someone brush against his arm. Astrid stood there watching him, like she was waiting for him to lash out. He sighed, relaxing before he silently walked with her to the forge.

"Thanks…I shouldn't have let my guard down back there." He muttered as he started to flame. Astrid sat down, watching him work.

"It was more Stormfly. I froze up when I saw the knife flying towards your back." Astrid explained looking away. Hiccup glanced at her as he poured the iron into a mold to shape it. He couldn't help but smile before he sat it aside to harden. He walked over to her and gently placed both his hands on her cheeks, brushing her hair out of her face.

"While that maybe so, Stormfly doesn't know me well enough to want to protect me. She followed your order, whether she did it because you said or not. She recognized your body language." He whispered, gently kissing her forehead. She smiled a tiny bit before he turned and went back to work. For several days Hiccup worked in the forge or in the arena. Sylvia was the only one that knew of her father's relationship but the five-year-old couldn't be happier.

One evening while she was training she felt like she was being watched. Hiccup was working with her on letting Moondancer let her put the saddle on her. He stopped when she suddenly jerked away. She stood there, crossing her arms.

"She won't let me." She whined. Hiccup laughed, shaking his head.

"You have to earn her trust. And she's still young. Like you. She wants to play." He explained, touching her shoulder. She grumbled but nodded. Hiccup helped her lift the saddle onto the black and purple dragon. The Nightfury finally just sat there, letting her.

"You're doing it wrong." Someone stated. Hiccup growled, recognizing Asa's voice. Sylvia turned around, freezing as her mother walked into the arena.

 ** _Well there is that chapter. I hope that you liked it and will leave me a review on what you thought. Remember leave helpful, not hateful._**

 ** _Until Next Time,_**

 ** _Snowbeam12_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_I had an excellent question asked. Where is Hiccup's mom in this story? Well when I say dragon hunters I am referring to dragon hunters similar to those in RTTE. Not the ones from HTTYD 2. However, I am going to include his mother later in the story. Just have patience with me._**

 ** _I DO NOT OWN THE HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON CHARACTERS, but I do own mine. I hope you enjoy the story. Don't forget to leave me a review on what you thought after you have read. Enjoy_**

 ** _Snowbeam12_**

 _Next Chapter in Life_

 _Chapter 6_

Hiccup was silent as he stood there, glaring at Asa. He carefully pushed Sylvia behind him, standing in front of the five-year-old protectively. Moondancer easily wrapped around her small rider, giving Asa a warning growl. Asa stood there watching them.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt either of you. I wanted to come warn you. Stay away from the south beach Hiccup. You're going to end up getting hurt." Asa stated softly, looking at him. Hiccup crossed his arms, glaring at her. He moved his hand to grab his new sword from his back. (the sword that he has in the newest season of RTTE) Asa sighed and grabbed a small dagger from her pocket easily throwing it, catching his hand. He jerked his hand back, glaring at her. Blood dripped onto the ground from the cut she'd caused. She glanced at Moondancer than at Toothless. The two Nightfuries were growling at her, watching for any movement.

"Call off the attack dog." She mumbled, rolling her eyes. She crossed her arms standing before her husband and daughter.

"Like I said. Stay away from the south beach. I won't intrude on your life if you stay away from mine. What we had is over and if you want a happy and peaceful life with that blonde Viking named Astrid I would listen to my warning." Asa stated before she turned and walked towards the arena entrance.

"I'm not going to just stand back and watch while you harm innocent dragons." He stated loud enough for her to hear. She stopped and stood there shaking her head.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way but we need those baby dragons." She stated. Hiccup quickly jerked his sword from his back when she turned towards him, throwing multiple knives all at once. He managed to deflect them away with his sword. While he was distracted by dodging the knives, Asa ran at him. Hiccup gasped, dropping his sword when she jumped, her foot connecting with his chest to throw him back. Asa went to jump back only to have Hiccup grab her ankle, throwing her. He quickly turned to Moondancer.

"Get her out of here!" He ordered. The young Nightfury quickly flew up, grabbing Sylvia between her claws. Asa growled and ran at him again. Hiccup dropped down when she jumped, rolling out of the way. He quickly grabbed his sword and got back to his feet just as she threw her knives at him again. He deflected most of them but one grazed across his arm, cutting him. He gritted his teeth, regretting not wearing his flight gear. He swung the flaming sword at her, turning as she began to circle him. He watched her every move, watching for an opening. She held several more knives in both of her hands, watching him as she circled him.

"Just admit that you don't have what it takes to stop us Hiccup and no one has to get hurt." Asa stated, glaring at him.

"Dragons get hurt!" Hiccup objected, turning to face her again. Asa smirked and quickly ran straight for him. He swung his sword at her only to have her dodge around his back. His eyes went wide when he felt her foot in his back, sending him tumbling to the ground. His sword slide across the ground, the flame dying out. He groaned and moved to get back up. Asa walked over and stepped on his back, holding him down. He growled, glaring at her out of the corner of his eye. He managed to move his arm down to his leg to grab his own knife. He gripped it tight, quickly jerking it up, cutting her leg. She cried out stumbling backwards. Hiccup stood back up, breathing hard. Asa glared at him, standing in front of him. They stood there, glaring at each other.

"Asa stop this." He stated, moving to take a step towards her. She stood there, acting like she was going to surrender only to lung towards him at the last second. Hiccup yelled as he felt the knife sink into his shoulder. He stumbled backwards, grabbing his shoulder. He watched as Asa ran from the arena, leaving a small trail of blood from where he'd cut her. He managed to sit on the ground as he tried to pull the knife out. He gritted his teeth, jerking the weapon out. It clattered to the ground as he sat there, pressing his hand against it.

"Damn it!" he cursed, knowing he shouldn't have let his guard down again. Blood coated his hand as he slowly got to his feet. He had to get to one of the healers before he bled out.

"Toothless!" he yelled, looking around for his dragon. The black Nightfury ran over to him and he climbed on his back, clicking the tail fin into place. The panicked dragon flew out of the arena, straight to the healer's hut. Hiccup managed to climb off but nearly fell to the ground. Toothless shot forward, catching Hiccup with his head. The dragon let out a destressed roar, trying to get anyone's attention as Hiccup laid against him, breathing hard.

"B-Bud…I'm fine." Hiccup whispered as he struggled to stand on his own two feet. The hut door opened just as Hiccup fell forward, blacking out. He ended up waking up lying in his own bed. He groaned and moved to sit up. He rubbed his shoulder, glancing around. His eyes landed on the sleeping woman beside him and he couldn't help but smile.

"Astrid." He whispered, reaching over to gently shake her awake. She slowly opened her eyes, lifting her head from resting against the bed. Her eyes widened when she saw him awake. Hiccup cried out, rubbing his good shoulder when she punched him.

"What was that for?!" he demanded.

"That was for scaring me!" she snapped before she leaned forward and gently kissed him. He relaxed, kissing her back. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow when she pulled back.

"That was for being ok." She stated softly. He could tell she was still angry with him but was also relieved. They both looked up when the door slowly opened. Sylvia poked her head in, her eyes brightening when she saw her father was awake. Hiccup happily hugged her when she ran over, climbing into his bed.

"Hey." He whispered, holding her close. She clung to her father, crying into his shoulder. He looked at Astrid as she gently rubbed the little girl's back.

"Sylvia, I'm ok." He whispered, looking down at her. She pulled away and looked at her, reaching up to whip the tears from her eyes. He gave her a warm smile before he moved to try and get out of the bed. Astrid moved to stop him only to receive a pointed glare.

"I'm fine Astrid." He stated softly. They walked outside, standing on the small cliff. Sylvia stood beside him, her wrapped around Toothless' neck. He glanced down at her smiling before he glanced at Astrid. She was standing beside Stormfly away from them.

"Uncle Liam offered to train me with his two since you're so busy." She suddenly stated. He looked down at her, raising any eyebrow.

"And what did you say?" he questioned softly. She glanced up at him before she glanced over at her dragon.

"I said…yes. Because he's right. Between Astrid and your duties and…mom…you are busy. And I understand." She stated softly. Hiccup chuckled and playfully messed up her hair. She laughed, jerking away. He watched her try to brush her hair back down using her hand.

"You are too mature for your age." He stated. She laughed before she ran over to Moondancer leaving him standing by himself. He sighed, watching as she climbed on Moondancer's back. They walked down towards the village. He rubbed the back of his head, sighing. He glanced over at Astrid than down at Toothless.

"How did everything get turned upside down?" he questioned softly. He rubbed his injured shoulder, watching the sunrise. He felt a someone stand beside him and glanced down. Astrid stood beside him, her hand brushing against his. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, smiling.

"Care for a morning flight milady?" he questioned softly. She shot him a glare, looking at his arm.

"The healers said you needed to be resting. That means you can ride Toothless." She commented, crossing her arms. He laughed, shaking his head.

"Astrid I'm me. When do I actually listen to what is advised?" he questioned in a teasing manner. She sighed, shaking her head. Hiccup climbed on Toothless while she whistled for Stormfly. The blue Nadder ran over and allowed Astrid to climb on her back. As the two flew over the village Astrid couldn't help but watch hiccup. He was lying back in the saddle looking up at the sky. She watched as he sighed and closed his eyes, resting his good arm under his head.

She looked away, looking down at Stormfly. She gently ran her hand along the dragon's neck. She glanced back at Hiccup and sighed. He seemed content riding Toothless but she knew he couldn't stay in the clouds forever. Just as she was about to call his name to get his attention, he shot up straight. She blinked several times watching as he suddenly turned Toothless back towards the island. Hiccup suddenly shot off in the direction of the caves on the far side of the island with Astrid behind him.

"Hiccup what is going on?!" she yelled, trying to keep up with him.

"They're after the Nightfury hatchlings!" he yelled before Toothless landed outside one of the larger caves. He glanced around frowning, noticing there wasn't anyone guarding it like they were supposed to. He slowly walked inside, glancing around. The torches had all been extinguished down the path that led to the Nightfury chambers. He pulled his sword from his back, glancing around. It was too quiet as he got closer to the tunnel that led to the nursery. He walked in and glanced around. He started to count each egg under his breath, knowing the exact number there should be. As he walked over to a larger nest he heard a small whine of pain, causing him to jump. He lit the sword, raising it so he could see in the corner. An older Nightfury dragon laid curled up. As he walked closer he noticed cuts all over her, proving she'd put up a fight.

"What did they take?" he whispered, glancing around confused. All the eggs in this chamber were accounted for. As he knelt beside the dragon he carefully ran his hands along her injured body, feeling for the worst of the injuries. His hands rested on several cuts that graced her black wing, blood still dripping from them.

"You did good." He stated softly, glancing over his shoulder. Astrid stood in the entrance, staring at the eggs. He sighed, looking back to the dragon in front of him. She seemed to be in distress as she struggled to stand on her own. Toothless carefully walked over and allowed her to lean against him as she walked out of the chamber.

"Where are they going?" Astrid asked softly, watching them walk down one of the other tunnels.

"I have no clue. There aren't any dragons down this tunnel." He mumbled confused. Toothless seemed to know where he was going without the injured dragon's help. Astrid and Hiccup followed both of them until they entered another chamber, much smaller than the rest. Hiccup's eyes widened when he saw a group of white and black eggs. He slowly stepped towards them, looking around in confusion. His eyes landed on the white dragon watching him from the shadows.

"Shimmer." He whispered, staring at her in amazement. The albino Nightfury had never laid eggs before when the other dragons did so he'd assumed she couldn't. He knelt beside the three eggs, moving his hand to touch them. Toothless let out a small growl causing his rider to jump. Hiccup looked at his best friend with a knowing look.

"Asa was after your eggs." He whispered walking over to his dragon. He glanced at Astrid silently and noticed she looked confused.

"Why would she be after Toothless and Shimmer's eggs?" she questioned walking over to the white Nightfury. Toothless had sat down beside her in silence once Hiccup had gotten the medical kit from his saddle bag. He sat down beside the injured Nightfury, running a cloth of her wing sighing.

"I honestly don't know. But she isn't getting near them." Hiccup explained softly as the dragon let out a growl when he touched her injured wing to clean it. Astrid walked over and sat beside him, resting her head against his shoulder watching as he carefully tended to the injured dragon. She couldn't help but think about when Hiccup had started to get good during dragon training all those years ago. He had never actually injured the dragons. He wasn't a mean person unless he was forced to be.

"Bud, we need to get old Diamondback here to the village. She needs to be properly tended to and rest." Hiccup explained. The male Nightfury nodded moving from his mate to the older dragon. Hiccup held Astrid's hand as they walked through the dark out into the open. Once outside Hiccup kissed Astrid before he climbed on Toothless back and flew towards the village. When they arrived Hiccup and Toothless carefully laid her in the stables so Chase could look over her. He climbed off Toothless' back and walked towards the arena. He rubbed his injured shoulder, watching as Liam worked with Opal, Chance and Sylvia. The two Nadder riders seemed to be struggling while Sylvia was exceling. He sighed, feeling bad that he couldn't be the one to teach her like he had always wanted.

"I promise I will make time." He whispered before he turned and walked back towards the village. He checked in on how the crops were coming along and to make sure the riders were patrolling the island. He sighed a tiny bit as he walked around, greeting everyone with a warm smile and nod of his head. He spotted Heather and Fishlegs at the furthest table in the dining hall when he entered. Everything seemed quiet as he stood at his table.

"I wish my father hadn't had to leave but with winter coming I understand he has his own village to prepare. I'm just glad Astrid and Fishlegs stayed." He muttered to himself, crossing his arms. A small smile played on his lips as people sat around talking quietly among themselves. Everything seemed perfect, like nothing could ruin it.

 ** _Well there is chapter 6. Don't forget to leave me a review on what you thought. Remember, helpful reviews, not hateful. Enjoy and until next time,_**

 ** _Snowbeam12_**


	7. Chapter 7

**How To Train Your Dragon**

 **Title: Next Chapter in Life**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs I., Heather**

 **Genre: Romance/Family**

 **Summary: Sequel to Second Chance. Two years after the death of his wife, Hiccup is still struggling to accept it as he is faced with new dangers and new challenges. Astrid is determined to help Hiccup as he feels the pressure starting to overwhelm him running the village alone. Read and Review please. Enjoy. Snowbeam12**

 **I don't own any of the original how to train your dragon characters however Liam, Asa and Sylvia are my OCs. Remember to leave a review on what you thought. Enjoy. Snowbeam12**

 **Next Chapter in Life**

Chapter 7

Hiccup sat in silence as he glared down at the map of Dragon Island, trying to figure out why Asa or the other dragons were sticking around. He grumbled as he grabbed his charcoal pencil drawing another x over a bunch of trees where they had already hit. It didn't look like any dragons had been trapped but several had already been injured.

"Now what did that map do to you?" Astrid teased softly as she stepped into the great hall. Hiccup only sighed and tossed the pencil back onto the table, reaching up to run his hand through his hair annoyed.

"Just…trying to understand what Asa is after. There are dozens of dragons on this island, even more eggs. But the only eggs that they have targeted is the Nightfury eggs. But it can't be for the fact that she needs another dragon because the eggs haven't even hatched yet. Even if they had there is no promise that they'll bond with her or even want to let her ride them by force." He explained sitting back in his chair. He grabbed his glass of water, taking a sip as Astrid walked over and sat down beside him. She looked over the map seeing several black x marks all over it except in one large area.

"What is over there?" She questioned, pointing towards the mountain range that connected to the main island that had housed the Red Death. Hiccup raised an eyebrow as he leaned forward enough to see what she was motioning to.

"None of the dragons venture out that far. Something always seems to cause them to panic and change course." He muttered, crossing his arms suddenly getting lost in thought. Astrid watched when he suddenly stood up and sprinted out of the great hall towards the forge were Liam and Heather were both standing. Toothless laid on his slate beside Hiccup's chair cocking his head slightly, clearly just as confused as Astrid. Both dragon and Viking decided to follow him to try and find out what was going on.

"Heather, I need you, Liam and Fishlegs to come with me. We're going to get as close to the far side of the island as we can with the dragons but will go the rest of the way on foot." Hiccup stated, turning away, not leaving any room for an argument. Astrid stood back, crossing her arms as she watched him walk towards the forge doors.

"I'm going with you." She stated, stepping in front of him, blocking his path.

"No, you're not and I'm putting my foot down on that." He objected, moving to step around her.

Later

Hiccup grumbled as he flew on Toothless' back, glancing to his side were Astrid was flying Stormfly. He couldn't help but roll his eyes, reminding himself to never attempt to put his foot down with her again. His flight gear did nothing to stop the ache of his stomach where she'd put her foot after easily tossing him on the ground. Heather flew on Windshear to his left, keep an eye out for any sign of movement in the tree line below them. Liam and Fishlegs were both talking in the back of their formation about different types of dragons that might be causing the distress among others.

When they reached the mountain range Meatlug was the first to react suddenly, catching Fishlegs off guard, nearly tossing him. Hiccup held up his hand to halt the other dragons.

"We'll land and continue on foot from here." He stated, glancing over his shoulder. Once they were all safely on the ground Liam walked over to his chief.

"So, what exactly is your plan Hiccup? No one has been able to explore this side of the island, so we don't have a clue what kind of dragons reside in those caves." The red hair dragon rider stated, hoping his chief would have some kind of answers that would ease his worries. Hiccup sighed, glancing at his friend but didn't know what to say. He was nervous as well but knew that there was something in these mountains that the dragon hunters were after and he wanted to make sure they got whatever it was first.

"Asa knows there is something out here. She was the one that originally picked this island to become our home and the starting point for the Strike Tribe. She tricked me once and since she has gone back to her roots, she knows exactly what is out her. And since there are so many hunters around it is something big that they want." He explained, turning his eyes back towards the mountains. Heather, Fishlegs and Liam all simply nodded but Astrid didn't look as convinced. He couldn't help but feel thankful that she didn't question him.

As they walked deeper into the forest that was around the mountains none of them spoke a word, each lost in their own thoughts. Astrid glanced at Hiccup and sighed, wanting to prove that she wasn't going to betray him like his wife had but knew that their past was something that he wasn't going to forget. Even though she hadn't bullied him like Snotlout and the twins had, she hadn't done anything to stand up for him. Plus, her hateful comments during dragon training hadn't done anything to help boost his confidence. Instead it had driven him away from Berk and straight into the arms of others that saw his worth and saw exactly what he was capable of.

"Hiccup…what is going through your head? Talk to me." Astrid whispered, grabbing his hand.

"Astrid not right now. You may not believe in me; however, I have an entire village that is depending on me to make sure the dragon hunters don't cause more problems. Dragons are finally starting to be accepted and I'm not able to risk that because I put my love and trust in the hands of another woman who didn't care about who she harmed." He muttered, pulling away. She frowned but didn't say another word out of both anger and annoyance. As the five Vikings investigated the many caves Hiccup noticed the deeper in the got the colder it seemed to get. He shivered but pushed forward, stepping deeper into one of the caves. He stopped seeing the pictures that went along the wall, clearly telling of a dragon much larger than the Red Death. His eyes widened when he came to the final drawing.

"The king of dragons." He whispered in amazement, reaching his hand up, resting it on the cold cave wall.

 **Cliffhanger!**

 **Remember to leave a review on what you thought.**

 **Snowbeam12**


	8. Chapter 8

**How To Train Your Dragon**

 **Title: Next Chapter in Life**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs I., Heather**

 **Genre: Romance/Family**

 **Summary: Sequel to Second Chance. Two years after the death of his wife, Hiccup is still struggling to accept it as he is faced with new dangers and new challenges. Astrid is determined to help Hiccup as he feels the pressure starting to overwhelm him running the village alone. Read and Review please. Enjoy. Snowbeam12**

 **I don't own any of the original how to train your dragon characters however Liam, Asa and Sylvia are my OCs. Remember to leave a review on what you thought. Enjoy. Snowbeam12**

 **Next Chapter in Life**

Chapter 8

As the five Vikings investigated the many caves Hiccup noticed the deeper in the got the colder it seemed to get. He shivered but pushed forward, stepping deeper into one of the caves. He stopped seeing the pictures that went along the wall, clearly telling of a dragon much larger than the Red Death. His eyes widened when he came to the final drawing.

"The king of dragons." He whispered in amazement, reaching his hand up, resting it on the cold cave wall. The young chief instantly reached for his weapon when he heard the sound of someone coming up behind him. He relaxed slightly when he saw Astrid's blonde hair as she walked around the corner, her hand resting on her axe.

"Was wondering where you disappeared to." She commented walking over to him. He frowned slightly before he turned his attention back to the pictures painted on the cave walls. Astrid crossed her arms, leaning back slightly, clearly confused.

"What type of dragon is that?" she questioned.

"That is the king of dragons! And I must say thank you Hiccup for leading me to the cave entrance." A voice he easily recognized as Asa's chuckled behind him. He growled lighting his flame sword turning to face her. He faltered when he saw Liam standing beside her, his own weapon already pulled. Astrid glanced at the other dragon rider that she hadn't trusted from the beginning, stepping closer to Hiccup. She could tell from how he had suddenly straightened that he was hurting but refused to let it show on his face.

"Liam…you played me just like she did." Hiccup muttered, balling his hands into fists. He gritted his teeth charging forward, raising his sword to attack without thinking. Asa grabbed her knives from the pouch tied around her waist, throwing them at the angered man. Liam quickly raised his own mace, the weapon clashing with Hiccup's sword. Hiccup gritted his teeth, blood dripping down his cheek from where one of the knives had managed to nick him.

"I trusted you!" he yelled, shoving Liam back. Asa smirked, using the distraction to sprint passed them, easily shoving Astrid aside.

"I will not follow someone that chooses another tribe over his own! You never made them pay for my sister's death and now you will!" Liam sneered, managing to kick Hiccup's feet out from under him. He crashed to the ground, his sword sliding across the ground, the flame extinguishing. Astrid look a step towards him only to have Liam turn his attention to her, throwing one of the discarded knives. It embedded into the cave wall by her head.

"This isn't between us; however, don't think I won't drag you into it if you want!" he warned. Hiccup got back to his feet, turning as Liam started to circle him like he was nothing more than prey. Astrid grabbed her axe deciding she would be of better use to stop Asa than trying to help Hiccup.

The torches that lined the cave had been put out, so the tunnel was slightly smoky, causing her vision to blur and tear up. She reached up to rub her eyes as she tried to see any signs of the other woman. A sharp, quick pain went through her shoulder, causing her to jerk. She reached her hand up, feeling the warm liquid start to run down her arm. She gritted her teeth, trying to determine where Asa was just as another knife flew cutting her again.

"You will never truly hold his heart, nor will my daughter ever accept you as her mother. You are nothing more than a friend, maybe a teacher if you tried hard enough." Asa's voice echoed around the tunnel. Astrid took several quick breaths, determined not to panic as she closed her eyes, depending on her hearing. She ducked down, missing another knife that had been angled for her injured shoulder again. Asa's terrifying laugh echoed but Astrid refused to show any weakness. She tightened her grip on her axe, taking another deep breath to calm her heart rate.

"I have no one to replace. Asa, your daughter barely remembers you. You abandoned her and all she knows is another woman came in to fix her daddy's heart." Astrid stated, knowing she was going to hit a nerve. She heard Asa's growl in annoyance, listening for the sound of her throwing more of her knives. She kept her guard up as she took several steps forward when she heard she sound of the other woman running down another tunnel. She went to follow her, only stopping when she heard Hiccup yell, clearly in pain. She looked down the tunnel she'd came from before looking after Asa, fighting a battle within herself, not knowing what to do.

"This isn't over." She growled before she turned and ran back towards Hiccup and Liam. When she stepped into the cave, she saw Hiccup lying on the ground and Liam was nowhere to be seen. Hiccup groaned, slowly pushing himself to his feet, pain written across his face. Blood dripping on the floor, his hand doing nothing to stop the bleeding from a cut in his stomach.

"Did you find Asa?" he questioned, using one of the larger rocks to pull himself to his feet taking several breaths. Astrid quickly ran over to him, letting him lean on her good side for support. He closed his eyes tight, clearly trying to ignore the pain. He barely managed to take a step forward before he crumbled back to the ground. Astrid gasped, moving to try and catch him. She helped him sit down leaning against one of the larger rocks.

"Thanks." He breathed giving her a small smile. He leaned his head back staring at the cave ceiling. Astrid couldn't help but worry as she watched his face, waiting on him to come up with a plan or something.

"Astrid you have to go and find Fishlegs and Heather." He muttered softly, biting his lip hard to try and hold in the pained cry. He sucked in a deep breath as he struggled to push himself back to his feet. Astrid watched him unsure, not wanting to leave his side. After several failed attempts he finally sat down, leaning his head back again with a groan. She knelt down, reaching forward to brush the hair away that had fallen in his face.

"I promise I will be back as soon as I find them." She whispered before she stood back up and sprinted out of the cave.

"Let's hope I'm still here." Hiccup muttered to himself once she'd left. He felt like he'd barely closed his eyes when he felt someone, or something nudge his side causing him to cry out. He jerked his eyes open, his hand instantly reaching for his sword. He blinked several times confused when he was greeted by familiar worried green eyes. Toothless gave him a worried coo before he nudged his nose against Hiccup's injured side again, causing the young Viking to groan. The dragon quickly stepped back, tilting his head slightly.

"I'm okay bud. Just…gotta give me a moment to get up than we can get outta this place." He groaned, using Toothless' saddle to pull himself up once again. Toothless stayed as still as he could as Hiccup got on his back before he walked out of the cave, already knowing Hiccup wasn't there enough to maneuver his tail fin. When they got outside, Hiccup had to raise his hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight.

"Hiccup!" a relieved cry sounded to his left. He managed to glance over, seeing the clear outlines of Astrid, Heather and Fishlegs. Once his eyes were adjusted, he lowered his hand, Toothless already walking towards them.

"Liam took us all by surprise, he attacked Heather and I while we were exploring one of the smaller caves." Fishlegs stated once they were close.

"He took me by surprise to Fishlegs. Liam…was my best friend but he was Asa's brother in arms long before they met me. It shouldn't surprise me that she would convince him to betray our home to help the dragon hunters again." Hiccup breathed, trying not to let on that his side was burning. Astrid slowly walked over to him, cautious in case he didn't want her near him.

"Astrid…I need to apologize to you for what I said earlier. It was out of line and just because I was angry didn't give me any reason or right to take it out on you." He whispered, glancing down at her. She only gave him a small smile, squeezing his hand slightly.

"Let's get you back to the village." She whispered, earning a nod from both Heather and Fishlegs before he could object.

The four Vikings had barely landed in the clearing when Hiccup noticed several ships docked on the beach. A small smile appeared on his lips as he slowly climbed down from Toothless' back when he recognized the Berk sails. He leaned against his dragon as they walked into the village plaza. Stoick was talking to Sylvia with an amused look on his face. Hiccup felt a small heart ache as he looked at his daughter. She'd been chosen to ride a Nightfury and he hadn't even had the chance to give her one lesson, to busy trying to stop the hunters from destroying the world he'd worked so hard to make safe for them all. His frown deepened when he realized he would have to find her another teacher as well as the other Nadder students since Liam had betrayed them.

"Son, there you are. I was beginning to wonder when you'd get back." Stoick called, finally noticing his son. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed the state they were all in.

"What did you four get yourselves into this time?" He questioned, crossing his arms. Sylvia glanced over at her father, frowning when she saw the pained look he was trying to hide from all of them. She slowly slipped away before she turned and ran to get one of the elders. Hiccup watched her run and hung his head in defeat, knowing he'd failed his daughter. After several silent minutes he looked back up, a look of determination on his face as he turned towards the great hall.

"Heather, I need you to call a meeting. I'll meet you all in there in a moment." He explained before he used Toothless to walk towards the forge, ignoring Astrid's objection. Once he got to the forge he leaned against the counter, taking several deep breathes before he pushed himself forward. Toothless stayed in the doorway watching in case he fell.

Astrid walked towards the forge, seeing Toothless half in the doorway. She only sighed, shaking her head guessing he was standing there simply to catch Hiccup when he finally gave out. The young Viking glanced over his shoulder when she heard someone walking up behind her, relaxing when she saw Sylvia and the elder that had taken care of Hiccup last time Asa had injured him.

"One of these days that boy is going to hurt himself and then push himself so hard I'm not going to be able to do anything to help." The older woman complained. Astrid only nodded, knowing she was only being truthful, but Hiccup was too hard headed and stubborn to listen.

"I have a village to protect. I don't have time to slow down. Now if you one of you will come help but put these bandages on so I can get to the meeting." Hiccup stated, standing in the doorway watching them. The elder gave him a warning look before she walked over, taking the bandages from his hands. Astrid stood back as she wrapped his chest, not missing the flinches of pain that appeared on his face as she wrapped the bandages tight. Once they were on correctly, he grabbed his spare shirt that he kept in the forge, pulling it on before he fixed his flight gear. He climbed back into the saddle before Toothless walked towards the Great Hall. He stood in front of his chair, having to use the table to keep himself standing. The young chief could see the confused looks he was receiving from many of the others, both from Berk and of his tribe.

"I know there are some rumors that have been going around that Asa is alive and has rejoined the dragon hunters. I have called this meeting to answer those rumors. Yes, she is alive and has rejoined the hunters." He stated, getting cut off when everyone started yelling and talking over each other. Toothless let out a loud roar to silence them after Hiccup stood there attempting to get their attention. Everyone finally quieted down, giving him their attention once again.

"Another thing I want to say before they become rumors. Liam has also joined her and is to be considered a traitor to the Strike Tribe. I am currently working on reappointed a trainer to the tracker class dragon class, but it will take some time." He stated. His eyes narrowed when he glanced towards the door of the great hall, seeing Liam standing there. Astrid and Heather had both already noticed him and were making their way towards him.

 **End Of Chapter 8**

 **Hope you enjoyed and remember to leave me a review on what you thought.**

 **Snowbeam12**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Fanfiction: How to Train Your Dragon**_

 _ **Title: Next Chapter in Life**_

 _ **Characters: [Hiccup H, Astrid H.] [Fishlegs I., Heather]**_

 _ **Genre: Romance, Family**_

 _ **Summary:**_ ** _Sequel to Second Chance. Two years after the death of his wife, Hiccup is still struggling to accept it as he is faced with new dangers and new challenges. Astrid is determined to help Hiccup as he feels the pressure starting to overwhelm him running the village alone. Read and Review please. Enjoy. Snowbeam12_**

 **I don't own any of the original how to train your dragon characters however Liam, Asa and Sylvia are my OCs. Remember to leave a review on what you thought. Enjoy. Snowbeam12**

 **Next Chapter in Life**

Chapter 9

"Another thing I want to say before they become rumors. Liam has also joined her and is to be considered a traitor to the Strike Tribe. I am currently working on reappointed a trainer to the tracker class dragon class, but it will take some time." He stated. His eyes narrowed when he glanced towards the door of the great hall, seeing Liam standing there. Astrid and Heather had both already noticed him and were making their way towards him.

Hiccup's eyes narrowed as he watched Heather and Astrid corner Liam, moving to try and stand as straight as he could. He took a short, shaking breath as pain shot through his body, reminding him of his untreated wounds but he refused to appear weak in front of the man that he had once considered his friend and brother. Liam crossed his arms with an amused smirk on his face, not seeming bothered by the two women that had stopped him from moving any closer to his injured chief.

"Liam, you have one final chance to turn around and leave both this island and my village before you are placed under arrest for betraying us to the dragon hunters." Hiccup warned, not missing the look of concern Astrid sent his way. Liam only raised an eyebrow, moving his hands up in a mock sign of surrender.

"Perhaps if you didn't see the need to always try and make allies we wouldn't be in this situation Hiccup." He simply stated before he turned and walked out of the Great Hall without another word. Once everyone had calmed down and returned to their normal duties Hiccup clasped in his chair, no longer able to hide the pain. Small beads of sweat coated his forehead as he took several deep breathes, trying to ignore the wound on his side that felt like it was on fire. It barely registered when he felt Toothless push his head under Hiccup's other hand, trying to pull him from his pain induced thoughts. He opened his eyes slightly, not even having realized he'd closed them.

"I'm alright Bud." He whispered before he moved to push himself up. Toothless quickly jerked forward when the young chief crumbled to the ground. He grabbed Toothless' saddle to try and stand up only to end up leaning heavily against his best friend.

"Hiccup!" A panicked gasp sounded from close to the door. Astrid ran over to him, instantly moving to his other side, pulling his arm over her shoulder. She listened to his short, pained breathes as she helped him out of the Great Hall, looking around desperately for his father or one of the healers that always seemed to hover when their chief was injured. She couldn't help but groan in frustration when she saw neither her chief nor a healer.

"Hiccup come on. You have to help me get you back to your house." She whispered, silently pleading to the gods not to take him away from her so soon. She'd only recently gotten him back and she didn't want to lose him again. She continued to try and lead him towards his house, keep an eye out for anyone that could help. Just as they reach the stairs that led up the hill Sylvia came around the corner with her dragon.

"Daddy!" she cried panicked, quickly run over to them. Astrid couldn't help but sigh a small breath of relief, knowing she would be able to find one of the healers while she got him rested in his bed. The young girl opted to send her dragon so she could help Astrid get her father up the stairs the best she could.

"Mom did this to him…didn't she?" the small child finally whispered just as she pushed the front door open, catching Astrid off guard. She couldn't help but bite her lip, trying to figure out what to say. She knew from Hiccup that Sylvia had idolized her mother, being the perfect example of being a mommy's girl. She didn't want to be the reason she hated her mother should the gods be cruel enough to her to fix things between Hiccup and his wife.

"Sylvia…sweetie…right now your mommy is just confused. She feels like she is doing the right thing to try and protect those that are close to her." Astrid lied, knowing full well Asa was only doing the things she was to hurt Hiccup and get what she wanted, being nothing but a selfish woman. However, the answer seemed to be enough for the seven-year-old. Hiccup groaned slightly as they laid him down in his bed, pushing the blanket to the foot of the bed. Astrid moved to remove his prosthetic just as Stoick and one of the healers hurried in.

"Stupid, stubborn, boar headed." The older woman grumbled as she worked on removing the bandage that had been hastily been wrapped before his meeting, knowing he wasn't going to sit still long enough to properly treat the injury. Hiccup groaned slightly, shifting in his bed, his eyes squeezed shut tight as he fought to ignore the pain that spread through his body. Stoick stood beside Astrid, resting his large hand on her shoulder, carefully pushing her towards the door where Sylvia was standing. Astrid glanced at her and could see her wrapping her arms tight around Moondancer's neck, his eyes wide with fear as she saw the blood that coated her father's side.

"Come on. We can go outside and work on your dragon riding." Astrid whispered, walking over to the small child. Sylvia simply glanced at her dad before she let Astrid push her outside, understanding there was nothing she could do to help. Both stayed outside until it was nearly dark, waiting for either Stoick or the healer to come outside and give them an update. Stoick was the first to emerge, worry clearly written across his face.

"How is he?" Astrid quickly questioned standing up straight from where she was sitting. Sylvia glanced up from where she was sitting, her drawing forgotten.

"He is currently resting. Other than being deprived of sleep the chief is going to be fine. I've already patched his side up and he is resting. However, once he wakes I want one of the two of you to send Hiccup's Terrible Terror, Sharpshot, to find me so I can give him more pain medicine." The old woman stated, stepping out of the house next. Astrid glanced down at Hiccup's daughter, seeing the determined look on her face as she nodded.

"We'll keep a close eye on him. Chief Stoick why don't you go and make sure everyone is settled? Hiccup said that if we needed anything than to ask Heather or Fishlegs. I'll stay here and make sure that he gets the sleep he needs." Astrid offered, turning her full attention to her chief. At first Stoick seemed unconvinced but after several moments of silence finally nodded before he turned and walked towards the clearing where the few Berkians had already worked to set up their camp. Astrid hated that Hiccup hadn't been able to properly greet his father, knowing he had been excited for his return.

"Miss Astrid…I'm going to head to bed. It's…been a long day and daddy usually wants me to get to bed at a normal hour." Sylvia muttered after several awkward moments. Astrid simply nodded, not turning her attention from Stoick's retreating form.

Hiccup ended up being stuck in his bed for nearly a week before he was deemed strong enough to move around without being in constant pain. The young chief took a deep breath as he stepped out of his house for the first time since he'd gotten injured, glancing around for any signs of his daughter or the three-night furies that had taken to protecting her in his absence. He relaxed, smiling when he spotted them all sitting on the cliff that over looked their village. He walked over to her, careful of where he stepped to make sure she didn't hear him walking up. Hiccup smiled, kneeling, playfully covering her eyes. He enjoyed the playfully squeal she let out, always knowing who it was.

"What do you say about going with a flight? Seems everything is taken care of, so I deserve a little time with my favorite daughter." He teased, looking down at her. He didn't miss the surprised sparkle that filled her eyes, knowing he hadn't had the proper chance to teach her anything other than how to properly saddle her dragon.

"You really mean it?" She gasped, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"I asked didn't I?" he chuckled, moving to stand up. He felt Toothless press against his side, clearly stilled worried about him moving around too fast. He chuckled watching her run back towards the house, Moondancer happily following her. He glanced at Shimmer and noticed how the white nightfury carried herself, knowing she missed taking flights with her rider every morning. Hiccup carefully moved towards her, resting his hands on the sides of her head.

"You are more than welcome to come with us." He muttered, gently running his fingers along her scales, knowing she enjoyed the gentle touch. He glanced up, smiling when he saw Sylvia struggling to carry her saddle as Moondancer continued to hop around in obvious excitement. Hiccup sighed before he walked over to his daughter and her dragon, a smile plastered across his face seeing her frustration.

"Sylvia, she's still young. Just like you are. You have to have patience with her." He chuckled, holding his hand out to try and calm the younger dragon. Sylvia watched wide eyed as her father easily calmed her dragon down. She sighed, knowing that she still had a lot to learn but was thankful that he was at least taking some time to properly teach her. Once Hiccup had secured the saddle on Moondancer correctly he walked over, settling in his spot on Toothless, clicking his prostatic in place.

"Ready to go?" he questioned with a smile. He laughed when the black nightfury took off, shaking his head.

"Lets catch up to her bud." He laughed, clicking the tailfin open.

Astrid was walking through the village towards the great hall, glancing towards the sky. She couldn't help but smile slightly watching the three nightfuries chase each other, knowing Hiccup and Sylvia needed the bonding time. Ever since the hunters had shown up Hiccup had been so busy trying balance being both a chief and a father, but hadn't been able to properly be both. She couldn't help but frown slightly, thinking back to the words she had told Asa in the caves. They had been mostly the truth, that Sylvia didn't remember much about her mother, but the woman would always have a spot in the six-year-old's heart that she would never be able to replace. She knew she had such fond memories of her mother and father together that Astrid didn't want to take those away.

"What's on your mind lass?" Gobber questioned, walking up being the blonde haired Viking. Astrid glanced at the blacksmith when he place his hand on her shoulder.

"Just…thinking about what if Hiccup hadn't left Berk when he did. Maybe I would have realized my feelings a lot sooner and they wouldn't be so complicated." She sighed, turning her attention back to the sky, watching father and daughter.

"Don't bother with what ifs. They don't do nothing for you. Live in the now instead of the past. Hiccup is accepting you and welcoming you into his village and into his life. Don't waste that chance lass." Gobber stated before he hobbled off, muttering to himself about finding something to eat. Astrid couldn't help but smile slightly, knowing what Gobber said was true.

 _ **Hope you enjoyed the little Hiccup and Sylvia bonding moment. Remember to leave a review on what you thought. Until next chapter.**_

 _ **Snowbeam12**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Fanfiction: How to Train Your Dragon**_

 _ **Title: Next Chapter in Life**_

 _ **Characters: [Hiccup H, Astrid H.] [Fishlegs I., Heather]**_

 _ **Genre: Romance, Family**_

 _ **Summary:**_ ** _Sequel to Second Chance. Two years after the death of his wife, Hiccup is still struggling to accept it as he is faced with new dangers and new challenges. Astrid is determined to help Hiccup as he feels the pressure starting to overwhelm him running the village alone. Read and Review please. Enjoy. Snowbeam12_**

 **I don't own any of the original how to train your dragon characters however Liam, Asa and Sylvia are my OCs. Remember to leave a review on what you thought. Enjoy. Snowbeam12**

 **Next Chapter in Life**

Chapter 9

"Don't bother with what ifs. They don't do nothing for you. Live in the now instead of the past. Hiccup is accepting you and welcoming you into his village and into his life. Don't waste that chance lass." Gobber stated before he hobbled off, muttering to himself about finding something to eat. Astrid couldn't help but smile slightly, knowing what Gobber said was true.

When Hiccup and Sylvia landed both settled on the edge of the cliff, watching as Vikings and dragons alike began to wake and begin their chores for the day. Sylvia leaned her head against her father's arm, clearly lost in thought. Astrid smiled before she slowly walked over to them, sitting on Hiccup's other side.

"You two looked like you were enjoying yourselves." She commented softly, playfully nudging his shoulder. He smiled slightly, nodding as he glanced over at the three dragons. Toothless, Shimmer and Moondancer were all three curled up on one of the higher rocks in the sunlight. Astrid could tell something was on his mind but didn't want to talk about his duties while trying to spend time with his daughter. He sighed, moving his arm slightly, rubbing his hand up and down her back.

"Sylvia why don't you head down to breakfast? I'm sure your grandfather would love to see you." He suggested. Once the six year old had left he finally turned his full attention to Astrid, his relaxed demeanor crumbling. Astrid could tell he was struggling, trying to take care of his village while also protecting the dragons. She knew he had a kind heart that wanted to help everyone, refusing to see the bad in someone. Asa had clearly used that against him, taking his trust and using it to get closer to the dragons and people that depended on her.

"I don't know what to do anymore Astrid. Everything was so much simpler before…before I found out I can't trust the ones I loved the most." He whispered, resting his head against her shoulder. Neither spoke another word for several moments. Astrid was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say to try and convince the young chief that everything was going to be okay.

"If being a chief was easy son, than anyone could be one. But it's not which is why the people need someone to look to when things get hard." Stoick stated, walking up behind them. Hiccup glanced at his father, raising an eyebrow confused. Astrid glanced between the father and son before she stood up, deciding to give them time to actually talk. Hiccup smiled slightly when she kissed his cheek before she walked off towards the village.

"Hiccup…I understand that we haven't always seen eye to eye and I know that that might be mostly my fault. I didn't give you the proper guidance like I should have or stood by you as the father you needed. I know it might be several years too late but I am here now. And I don't plan on every leaving." Stoick sighed, resting his hand on his shoulder. Hiccup simply looked up at him and nodded slightly, understanding his father was only trying to make him feel slightly better. Stoick sighed, turning his attention back to the village.

"I can't stay as long as I would have liked but…you know I'm just a Terrible Terror away should you need anything. Plus you have both Fishlegs and Astrid here to stand by your side." He reminded his son.

"Yeah I know. And I want to trust them but it's going to take some time." Hiccup objected before he turned and went to walk down towards the village. He couldn't help but feel slightly at ease as his father walked beside him. A small warm smile graced his lips as father and son walked side by side. When they got to the great hall Hiccup was instantly surrounded by multiple people all questioning him about what was going to be done about the hunters that had moved deeper into the forest surrounding the beach. He sighed and stood waiting for them to calm down enough to let him speak. Stoick stood back with his arms crossed, waiting to see how his son was going to handle everyone.

"Enough!" Hiccup yelled after several moments, holding up his hands. The young chief took several deep breathes, closing his eyes for a second or two.

"I will take the riders and we will make sure that they have not captured anymore dragons however, until we know a sure way to force them to leave there is not much I can do. If we attack they will retaliate and that will only get people hurt. For the time being I will assign patrols and borders to make sure they don't get any closer to the village." He stated, glancing around at everyone. Once they had been given the answer that pleased them they turned and went back to their chores. Hiccup sighed before he turned and moved to head towards the arena where he knew most of his riders would be. Stoick quickly placed his hand on his son's shoulder, stopping him.

"Those patrols can wait long enough for you to eat something. They need a chief who is healthy and not eating is only going to make you sick." he objected. Hiccup looked like he was about to object but thought better of it, letting his father steer him towards the great hall to get something to eat. When they walked in Hiccup glanced around searching for Astrid or Heather, wanting one of them to gather the riders in training, wanting to see how they were coming along. He spotted Heather standing off in the corner talking to Fishlegs, a small smile clearly evident on her face.

"Heather and Fishlegs. Who would have thought?" Astrid teasing coming up behind him. She rested her head against his shoulder, clearly not bothered by the leather of his flight suit. He glanced down at her with a smirk, raising an eyebrow.

"That is something interesting but I could see it. Fishlegs is pretty intelligent and Heather is a strong warrior, a lot like you." He admitted. He chuckled when she pulled back and punched his arm. He reached up to rub the offended spot, not taking his eyes off her. He listened to her continue on about the two Vikings as he grabbed a plate and a glass of mead. As he sat down at one of the tables he couldn't help but glance around for Toothless or Shimmer knowing neither ventured far from Sylvia in the mornings. He frowned, standing up slightly when he didn't see her anywhere.

"Calm down Hiccup. I saw her and Hunter heading towards the arena, both with their dragons in tow. Heather suggested working on their bond while they both had a break from training." Astrid explained, instantly noticing his panicked expression. She knew that he was nervous with Asa clearly leading the hunters, knowing their daughter was still young and could be manipulated by the woman that had given birth to her. She waited for him to relax and sit back down before turning back to her own plate of food. Hiccup couldn't help but glance at the painting that hung on the back wall of him and Asa shortly after their marriage. Queen Mala of the Defenders of The Wing had had it commissioned for them as a wedding gift.

"What would she think about us now…" he thought, shaking his head slightly. He had been meaning to have it taken down but he just wasn't ready to admit that his marriage had been anything more than a con. He wanted to believe that there had been some love in all those years, not just someone that was using him and his knowledge of dragons to get loser to them just so she could capture and kill them. He been learning from dragons for years, determined to prove to anyone that would listen that dragons weren't just mindless beasts.

"I know that face. What is going through that head of yours?" Astrid questioned, reaching up to poke his forehead. He chuckled, shaking his head giving her his attention.

"Come on. I have some things to do with the riders and I would like your help and opinion." He chuckled, pulling her to her feet before they walked towards the arena together. When they walked in Hiccup couldn't help but raised an eyebrow seeing the five in training dragon riders all sitting in the center of the arena. Their dragons were all dozing around them in the sunlight.

"And what is going on in here?" he questioned, amused when they all jumped. Sylvia was the first to stand up, her hands behind her back as she looked at her father.

"We were talking. And…we might have a plan." She stated. Hiccup frowned slightly, crossing his arms as he walked closer. Astrid glanced between father and daughter.

"And what would that be?" he questioned glancing between the five kids. Sylvia glanced at the others, understanding that while she was the youngest rider in training the others held a small amount of respect because she was choosing to follow in her father's footsteps. She took a small breath before stepping forward, standing in front of Hiccup.

"We want to help in any way you are willing. The hunters don't know their way around the caves and as kids it will be easier. We can get into tighter openings than most of the adult riders." Sylvia began. Hunter stood up, standing beside her knowing his chief was about to object. Hiccup didn't want to put any of them into danger.

"We understand the risks of what we are all suggesting. We knew them when we agreed to begin our training to protect our village. We want to help anyway that we can." He objected.

"Let us help. Let us be dragon riders." Opal stated, standing beside them, quickly followed by Jane and Chance. Hiccup raised an eyebrow before he sighed, nodding his head.

"When the time comes once we set up a plan I promise the five of you will have your chance." He promised, relaxing slightly as Astrid placed her hand on his shoulder again.

 _ **Remember to leave a review on what you thought. Until next chapter.**_

 ** _Got to see How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World and I must say that while there are a few sad moments in the movie, the ending to the trilogy that we all love was amazing. I recommend going to watch it if you have not gotten the chance._**

 _ **Snowbeam12**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Fanfiction: How to Train Your Dragon**_

 _ **Title: Next Chapter in Life**_

 _ **Characters: [Hiccup H, Astrid H.] [Fishlegs I., Heather]**_

 _ **Genre: Romance, Family**_

 _ **Summary:**_ ** _Sequel to Second Chance. Two years after the death of his wife, Hiccup is still struggling to accept it as he is faced with new dangers and new challenges. Astrid is determined to help Hiccup as he feels the pressure starting to overwhelm him running the village alone. Read and Review please. Enjoy. Snowbeam12_**

 **I don't own any of the original how to train your dragon characters however Liam, Asa and Sylvia are my OCs. Remember to leave a review on what you thought. Enjoy. Snowbeam12**

 **Next Chapter in Life**

Chapter 11

For several weeks Hiccup worked on coming up with a plan to get past the hunters and deeper into the caves while also working on speeding up the children's training, knowing he wouldn't feel safe with them helping unless they were completely and properly trained. He knew that the other parents had the same thoughts and worries that he did. One morning he was up earlier than normal, standing in the great hall as he looked up at the tapestry of himself and Sylvia. He let out a deep breath before he turned and walked back towards the table where the map of the island had been laid out. Fishlegs, Heather and Astrid had been helping him plan the best coarse of action but he couldn't help but feel like the hunters would be expecting them to use the most common and safest way into the mountain's caves. The young chief reached his hand out running it over the black lines that showed the Red Death's cave. While it had laid abandoned no one had explored the ruins, however he had a feeling in his stomach that that was their way in.

"What's going through that head of yours boy?" Gobber's voice echoed through the empty hall causing him to glance over his shoulder. He couldn't help but chuckle seeing his mentor. Gobber walked through the empty hallway, only stopping once he'd reached the table. Hiccup knew that he could always go to his old mentor or his father but he honestly felt like the difficulty of protecting the village that needed him.

"Just…trying to figure out another way in. The hunters will be expecting us to take the easiest path." Hiccup explained, sitting down in his chair at the center of the table. He sighed, rubbing his forehead as he racked his brain for another option that wouldn't involve taking people that trusted him through the center of enemy grounds. Gobber glanced at Hiccup and sighed, trying to figure out what to tell his old apprentice. Stoick was always the more level headed one to talk to the boy.

"Brother!" A voice yelled as the doors were pushed open. Hiccup groaned slightly, glancing up seeing Dagur the Deranged walked in followed by his Tribe Strike dragon, Sleuther. He glanced at Gobber seeing the older Viking's eyes grow wide before the narrowed in anger.

"You little sneak." He stated, walking towards the Berserker chief. Dagur faltered slightly seeing the blacksmith from Berk.

"Gobber! Dagur is an ally! I asked him to come!" Hiccup quickly objected, standing up. He quickly stepped between the two men, knowing if he didn't intervein it wasn't going to end well. Hiccup sighed when Gobber turned away before he turned his attention back to the Berserker chief. Dagur raised an eyebrow watching him, not knowing that Hiccup had gotten back into touch with Berk.

"It's been too long since you last contacted us Hiccup. Where's Asa and little Sylvia? Mala had been wanting to see them again but with her duties on Defenders of the Wing island she's been busy. And don't think I don't recognize that old grump. When did you tell your father you were even still alive?" Dagur questioned, grabbing one of the cups of mead that had been set out for breakfast. Hiccup flinched slightly at the mention of everything he hadn't told his ally about. Dagur and Heather had taken him in when he had been searching for a home far away from Berk. Looking back now he was thankful he hadn't flown as far as he had originally wanted.

"My friend…there is a lot that we need to talk about. First why don't you sit and have breakfast while I go and gather the others?" Hiccup suggested, not wanting to get into that conversation just yet, still unsure of what to tell the man whose wife had trusted them to protect the dragons they lived with. Dagur simply nodded before he sat properly at the table watching Hiccup's retreating figure. Once outside Hiccup released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He leaned against the stone wall, closing his eyes for a moment before he straightened and walked back towards his hut where he knew Astrid and Sylvia would still be sleeping. As he walked through the village he couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of the snow and cool breeze that had settled during the night.

"Everything is such a mess right now." He sighed as he walked up the stone path towards his hut. He'd just pushed the front door open when he was greeted with a pleasing sight. Astrid and Sylvia were both curled up in front of the fire reading one of the journals Hiccup had lying around the house that he'd gathered on his many adventures before he'd created the safe haven for dragons and cast out Vikings. Sylvia glanced up and smiled when she saw her father.

"Think I could burrow Astrid for a bit? Than you can have her right back." He teased walking over to them. He knelt down, chuckling as he hugged both of them. He felt Astrid lean against his shoulder and couldn't help but smile. He knew that taking care of someone else's child wasn't idle however, she accepted Sylvia as her own.

"Can I come to the meeting? Maybe I can help." Sylvia asked, giving her father the best puppy eyes she could. Hiccup sighed, raising an eyebrow as she did. He knew that while she was only seven she wanted to help out just as much as the other riders.

"Maybe a later meeting. This one…is more of a recap with an ally that has come to help with the problem. Plus I think Colt was wanting to have another team training with the six of you in the arena." Hiccup quickly objected. Sylvia seemed upset at first but quickly scrambled to her feet running towards the arena at the mention of training. Astrid couldn't help smirk slightly, a knowing look on her face. Hiccup glanced down at his girlfriend slightly confused before he finally shrugged.

"She has a crush on a certain Nadder rider. Must be a Haddock thing." She teased, poking his chest slightly. He only sighed, easily guessing who she was talking about.

"Maybe Nadders just have a way of picking the best riders. Now come on. I was being serious about having a meeting. Though fair warning Dagur is here to help. So keep your axe and fists to yourself." He warned, pulling her to her feet. Astrid frowned at the mention of the one who always made life harder for Hiccup when he visited Berk when they were kids.

"Dagur, son of Oswald? As in Dagur the Deranged? Hiccup how in the world did you get him to be your ally? He hates you and I'm pretty sure always hated Berk to." She commented as they walked towards the Great Hall. She playfully pushed him slightly when he didn't reply, not missing the dazed look on his face as he stared at the ground.

"Dagur…did hate me for the longest time. One morning just after I had met Asa and Liam we stumbled upon an island that seemed to worship dragons, or one dragon in particular. Mala was so convinced that we had forced Toothless, Shimmer and Fireeyes to work for us, convinced that we were dragon hunters that had come to kill their Great Protector. It took quite a bit of convincing on my part." He explained, jerking out of his thoughts. She nodded, watching as his green eyes seemed to dim slightly at the mention of his wife and best friend. She understood that he was still hurting from the betrayal of the two people that he thought he could trust the most. Before she could prod him with more questions he pushed the large doors open with ease, stepping inside. She spotted Stoick and Gobber standing off by one of the other tables clearly talking to each other while Heather and Fishlegs were standing beside Dagur. Astrid raised an eyebrow when she noticed how comfortable with Dagur Heather seemed. She elbowed Hiccup, ignoring the warning growl that Toothless gave as the black dragon walked over to them.

"There something going on romantic wise with those two that I should know about?" she whispered, jerking her head in their direction. Hiccup followed her gaze and started laughing, holding his sides.

"Those two? No, gods Astrid you are behind. Heather is Dagur's lost sister. She lives here because none of us learned the truth until after she'd already been made one of my dragon trainers and one of the dragon riders." Hiccup laughed, quickly gaining the attention of the others in the hall. Dagur frowned slightly when he noticed the two were holding hands.

"Hiccup…you're being weird. Where are Liam and Asa?" he questioned, standing up from where he was sitting. Hiccup flinched slightly as the Berserker chief walked towards them. Astrid turned her attention to her boyfriend, raising an eyebrow. Hiccup had closed his eyes, balling his hands into fists as his side. He silently sat on one of the benches, rubbing his hands against his knees.

"Asa…Asa and Liam betrayed us to the dragon hunters. That is why sent you the Terrible Terror asking for your help. You understand the hunters much better than I do." He finally explained, swallowing his pride. Dagur stood in front of him with his arms crossed.

"That doesn't really surprise me as much as it probably should. But Hiccup you know that Berserker Island and the Defenders of the Wing will always stand by your side. So lets go over that plan and see if we can't iron out the bugs and give those hunters a run for their money." Dagur finally replied, slapping his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup looked up at him grateful before he pushed himself to his feet, his prosthetic leg nearly giving out from under him in protest. Astrid gasped, quickly catching him. He placed his hand on her shoulder to keep his balance.

"I'm okay. It's still pretty cold out so it is to be expected to hurt." He whispered, lifting his pants leg so he could massage the scarred tissue. Once the pain had eased up he strapped his prosthetic back on before standing up. He walked over to the table where the map was laid out and began to explain the plan of attack and getting into the mountain cave where he figure the king of the dragon's egg was located.

As the adults worked on the final plan the dragon riders in training where all working through trust exercises. Sylvia sat on the back of Moondancer's back high in the air watching as Hunter and his Nadder, Snowtwister, flew through the obstacles that had been set up along the arena. She couldn't help but sigh, leaning forward as she watched him, ignoring the others behind her as they mumbled. She'd learned to ignore their whispers, knowing half the time they thought that she was getting special treatment because her father was chief. A frown graced her face as she thought about a lot of the things she had heard from both the people of the Strike Tribe and the ones from Berk. Many thought her father wouldn't be able to properly face her mother and would let his emotions get the best of him. A flash of white out of the corner of her eye caused the young girl to jerk.

"Hey Shimmer." She muttered softly, reaching her hand out to brush the scales of her mother's dragon. She smiled, remembering the feeling of riding the white nightfury with her mother when she was still young.

"Something on your mind Sylvia?" Hunter questioned, suddenly hovering beside her on his dragon. She jumped and glanced at him, attempting to hide the blush the spread across her cheeks.

"Just…think about everything. Everything is so messed up. Don't get me wrong, I love Astrid and I'm glad my dad is happy but I wish things could go back to the way they were. When we were a family and I wasn't my dad's second priority." She admitted. Hunter frowned slightly watching her. He understood that Hiccup had a lot on his plate but he didn't seem to realize that Sylvia valued every chance she got to spend with the chief.

"Once we get whatever it is the hunters are here looking for you know the chief will be able to spend more time with you." The eight year old assured, reaching over to rest his hand on her shoulder. Sylvia smiled slightly before she glanced over at the forest. They had all be forbidden from entering the south forest since the hunters had laid more traps than the senior dragon riders were able to find. She frowned when she caught a glimpse of silver just in the tree lining.

"Hunter…I'll be right back." She muttered, shifting in the saddle to signal to Moondancer where she wanted to go. The black and purple nightfury let out a confused roar but didn't move from playing towards the forest. Hunter frowned watching her, having a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach but knew he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it. Moondancer landed beside the forest, taking a step forward once Sylvia had slipped from her back.

"No. Stay here girl." She whispered, placing her hands on her dragon's nose. She turned back towards the forest, holding her breath for a moment before she stepped closer to whatever she had seen in the air. The small girl was careful were she stepped through the blades of grass, raising her hand to push aside tree branches.

"Sylvia." A soothing voice called, earning her attention. She turned towards it, her eyes widening when she saw her mother standing in the middle of a clearing. Asa was void of any weapons, dressing in the clothes she remembered, her auburn hair pulled back in a braid like it used to be.

"Mommy." She whispered, taking a small step towards her. Asa held out her arms as if to welcome her daughter.

"Mother!" Sylvia cried breaking out into a run. She'd barely stepped into the clearing when she felt a sharp pain coarse through her back causing her to stumble. Her vision began to blur as she vaguely felt the ground disappear beneath her feet and coarse ropes cutting into her arms. Moondancer's panicked cry was the last thing she heard before everything went black.

 **End of Chapter 11.**

 **Hope you enjoyed. Remember to leave a comment on what you thought. Until next chapter.**

 **Snowbeam12**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry this chapter took so long. I was going through some personal things and had out all of my stories on hold. However, I am back with the next chapter and I hope you enjoy.**

 **Enjoy,**

 **Snowbeam12**

 **I do NOT own any of the How To Train Your Dragon characters**

Next Chapter In Life

Chapter 12

Hiccup paced in front of the chief's table in the great hall. His mind was going through every possible scenario about where Asa and the hunters could have taken Sylvia but he was too worried about his daughter's safety to think clearly. Astrid was silent as she sat watching him pace back and forth, knowing that no matter what she told him he was still going to panic and worry until Sylvia was back in his arms. Hunter sat at one of the other tables far from his chief with his head buried between his hands, both Moondance and Snowtwister lying by his feet. Toothless growled softly as he lifted his head from his paws, trying to sooth his rider and best friend.

"Hiccup we will find her safe and sound. You just have to have faith." Stoick stated, being the first to try and say anything to his son since they had found out the news. Hunter lifted his head slightly, watching as the visiting chief was trying to calm all of them down.

"You don't know that! This is Asa we are talking about!" Hiccup objected, glaring at his father.

"Exactly. And Sylvia is just as much her daughter as she is yours." Astrid finally pointed out. Hiccup glanced at his girlfriend and sighed, finally sitting at the table. Dagur and Heather each placed their hands on their friend's shoulder as Hiccup struggled to appear strong even though on the inside he was broken. He had always done everything to make sure that their village was protected but he still hadn't been able to protect his daughter from the one person that was always supposed to protect her.

Silvia

Dragon Mountain

The small dragon rider groaned as she opened her eyes. She reached her hand up to try and rub her forehead, faltering when she felt a coarse rope cutting into her wrists. She quickly jerked her head up, glancing around finding that she was being held prisoner inside a cave. Ice coated the ceiling and an odd-looking dragon curled up in the entrance clearly keeping an eye on her. She couldn't help but shutter seeing the purple vials that were connected to the collar around its head. It growled as it stood up, slowly walking towards her, it's tail raised ready to attack.

"Hello? Someone, please help!" Silvia screamed, jerking on the ropes as she tried to stand up. She cried out when she tripped, seeing the chain that was connected to her ankle.

"Get back you useless monster." Asa snapped as she walked into the cave. The dragon momentarily growled at her before he turned and walked back over to where he had been lying. Silvia looked up at her mother wide-eyed, carefully easing back until her back was pressed against the wall. Asa knelt down, easily jerking the seven-year-old away from the wall.

"What did you do to that dragon?!" Silvia demanded, looking up at her mother with fear-filled eyes.

"It's drugged into submission with its own venom. Isn't it wonderful how compliance it is?" Asa stated with a smirk, ignoring the horrified look her daughter wore as she pulled one of her daggers from the pouch on her thigh. The sharp blade easily cut through the rope, allowing the child to rub her wrists.

"Mother listen to yourself. You love dragons, this isn't you. Just come back to the village, come back to father." Silvia pleaded.

"Oh, Silvia you have so much to learn if you're going to be anything like me. Your father was a fool to believe I would truly turn my back on my family. Dragons are evil ruthless creatures that deserve to be weeded out along with every dragon rider and lover. And once we have the king of the dragons there will be nothing that can stop us from destroying every last one of them." Asa stated, standing up. Silvia looked up at her wide-eyed, shaking her head in fear. The former chieftess walked out of the cave, ignoring the dragon once again. Liam pushed off the wall when she passed him, falling in step beside her.

"So what is your little plan to get her on our side? She's always been a daddy's girl and you have been absent for nearly 3 years." He stated, crossing his arms as they walked.

"I'm going to do what I do best. Manipulate her into thinking she only has two options." She stated, a smirk growing on her face as she glanced at the carvings on the cave walls.

 **Sorry the chapter is short and that it took so long. Remember to leave me a review on what you thought. I promise it won't be so long until the next chapter.**

 **Until Next Time, Snowbeam12**


	13. Chapter 13

**I do NOT own any of the How to Train Your Dragon characters. Remember to leave a review on what you thought. Enjoy, Snowbeam12**

Next Chapter in Life

Chapter 13

Recap: _Silvia looked up at her wide-eyed, shaking her head in fear. The former chieftess walked out of the cave, ignoring the dragon once again. Liam pushed off the wall when she passed him, falling in step beside her._

 _"So, what is your little plan to get her on our side? She's always been a daddy's girl and you have been absent for nearly 3 years." He stated, crossing his arms as they walked._

 _"I'm going to do what I do best. Manipulate her into thinking she only has two options." She stated, a smirk growing on her face as she glanced at the carvings on the cave walls._

Strike Tribe

Hiccup shoved the books and maps away from him, feeling his anger starting to get the batter of him as he once again attempted to locate his daughter. Astrid glanced over at Heather and Dagur, not knowing what to do to help the man she loved. They all knew he was hating himself more than he blamed Hunter but none of them had expected Asa to kidnap their daughter when she hadn't shown any interest in the seven-year-old since this whole mess started. It had been nearly two weeks and they had had no signs of Asa or Liam.

"Hiccup, we'll find her. We've placed patrols all over the island, all of them instructed to watch for any signs of either of them. Toothless and the other dragons are safe in the stables and the hunters wouldn't dare come any closer to our village than they already have. We will get through this." Heather offered, standing up finally. Hiccup glanced at her before he shook his head, deciding to go for a walk. He needed to clear his head before he ended up doing something drastic. He kicked a rock as he walked along the edge of island, lost in thought as he tried to understand how everything had gone so wrong. Asa and Liam had been with him since the beginning, standing at his side when he had first started to build his dream. He had never dreamed either of them would have betrayed him the way they had. The fact they had dragged little Silvia into the whole mess had done nothing but drive the knife deeper into his back.

"Chief Hiccup?" a small voice questioned behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, faltering when he realized Hunter had been following him. There was no telling just how long the boy had been attempting to gain his attention.

"What is it?" he finally sighed, turning to give him his full attention, knowing that the eight-year-old blamed himself just as much as he did. Hunter had been Silvia's best friend and hadn't been by her side when she needed him most. Neither of them had been able to protect her

"I just wanted to report in sir. Moondancer has been attempting to get out of her stall and when I got her out she headed towards the mountain range sir." Hunter stated, standing with his back straight. He faltered when Hiccup stepped forward, half expecting the chief to starting yelling at him for going near his daughter's dragon.

"You did good. It's late so why don't you go home and get some rest. Toothless and I will continue patrol tonight." He instructed before he headed towards his house where he knew his best bud was currently hiding out. He pushed the door to his hut open, faltering for a moment at just how quiet it was. He'd grown used to Silvia greeting him as soon as he got home or Shimmer lying by the fire.

"Toothless? Bud, it's our turn for patrol." Hiccup called, walking up the stairs. He frowned when he was greeted with nothing but more silence.

"Come on you useless reptile. You've been bugging me all day to go for a flight." He stated, a playful tone in his voice. He pushed his bedroom door open, raised an eyebrow when he was greeted with Toothless still asleep on his slab close to the bed.

"Bud?" he questioned, kneeling beside him. He frowned when he spotted a dart stuck in his leg, a type of purple liquid on the end. The young chief quickly grabbed his shield when he heard the tale sign of something metal being thrown through the air, raising it just in time to block another dart. He grabbed the flame sword that was strapped to his leg, ready to protect himself.

"Show yourself!" he snapped, his eyes frantically searching the room for any signs of an intruder. He gritted his teeth when Asa jumped down from the rafters, sitting at his desk like she still owned the place. She glanced around with a smirk.

"Seems you haven't changed much since I left. Just can't let yourself move on Hiccup?" she questioned, a small smirk on her lips.

"Where is Silvia? What have you done to my daughter!?" he demanded, standing up with his shield raised. Asa growled, standing up in front of him. She glared at him, fire burning in her eyes.

"Our daughter! She is half of me too! And you've decided to turn her into a weak, pathetic Viking who cares more for dragons than her own kind! I rescued her from turning out like someone as weak as you!" she snapped.

"She is perfect just the way she is and I'm betting you right now she is terrified and wants to come home! Now I ask again, where is my daughter?!" he sneered, tightening his grip on his sword. Asa balled her hands into fists at her side.

"Bring me the egg of the king of the dragons and you can have her back." She offered.

"She is not a bargaining chip Asa! She is a seven-year-old little girl!" Hiccup objected, feeling nothing but anger at how Asa didn't seem to care.

"I will do what I have to. Bring me the egg or you won't see her again. That is my only offer and you won't change my mind." She stated. He lunged forward only to have flames suddenly bloke his way. Hiccup quickly raised his shield to block burning pieces of wood from hitting him. Toothless gave a small growl as he shook his head as if trying to clear the confusion before he grabbed Hiccup's shirt, easily pulling him out of the burning house. Hiccup quickly got back to his feet, only being able to watch as water brigade worked on extinguishing the flames.

"Hiccup what happened?!" Dagur demanded running over to him.

"Asa happened. She is literally just using Silvia as a bargaining chip to get the King of the Dragon's egg." Hiccup snapped, feeling angrier than before.

"We haven't even been able to locate it other than the markings on the wall. What makes her think we can even get it if we do find it? It has to be guarded just the Great Protector's egg was." Heather stated, watching as Fishlegs looked Toothless over. The nightfury only made a tired noise before he rested his head back against his paws.

"What did they drug him with? I've never seen anything affect a dragon like this." The Berkian questioned, clearly intrigued.

"I don't know. It was a purple liquid inside a dart. I was a little more worried about the crazy person trying to attack me Fishlegs." Hiccup sighed, not being able to find it in himself to get angry just because his friend was curious.

Dragon Hunters Camp

Silvia slowly inched closer to the dragon that had been left to watch her. The Deathgripper had taken to sleeping since she hadn't done anything to provoke it or even moved from the spot her mother had left her in. Her fingers had barely touched the collar around it's neck when it's eyes opened, narrowing when they spotted just how close she was. She froze, her fingers closing into a fist as she watched for any signs of attacking.

"I wouldn't do that Silvia." Liam stated, stepping into the room. The Deathgripper let out a low growl before it stalked away from her.

"That dragon may be sedated with it's own venom but that doesn't mean it won't attack you for getting to close. Just think what could have happened if I hadn't come in when I did." Liam stated, crossing his arms as she sat back down against the wall.

"You're just mad because it let me closer than it lets you. I think it's a fascinating new dragon while all you see is a killer." She stated, refusing to back down just like her father had always daughter her.

"So much like your father." Asa suddenly stated, a tone of irritation easily noticeable in her voice. Silvia watched as her mother walked closer, glaring at her as she knelt down to her level.

"I will offer again my darling. Join me and the hunters and you can leave this little room and get away from that dragon. We can finally spend some time together and you could meet my family. Isn't that what you always wanted?" she offered.

"I want my family back. I want dad and Astrid and Grandpa Stoick and Toothless…" Silvia stated. She quieted when she saw the enraged look on her mother's face, flinching back slightly. Asa stood up and stalked out of the room without another word, Liam silently following. Silvia sighed before she sat back against the cave wall, using a rock to mark another tick on the wall with the rest.

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 **Until next chapter, Snowbeam12**


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